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The Impact of No-Till, Conservation, and Conventional Tillage Systems on Erosion and Soil Properties in Lower Austria

  • DEGRADATION, REHABILITATION, AND CONSERVATION OF SOILS
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Abstract

The effect of long-term (about 25 years) use of different farming practices on a set of soil properties and development of erosion in Lower Austria has been studied. Three tillage systems—zero, or no-till (NT); minimum, or conservation (CS); and conventional (CV)—are compared. The comparison demonstrates that the properties of Typic Argiudols (Luvic Phaeozems), formed on steep (13.2%) slopes, change depending on both the tillage type and the position on the slope. Unlike the CV tillage, the soil-saving technologies provide higher contents of nutrients, silt, and clay, as well as better water permeability and water stability of soil aggregates. Despite an almost doubled amount of lumpy fractions (>10 mm), the soil aggregate states after NT and CS tillage are estimated as “excellent”. Independently of the tillage system, all agrochemical, electrophysical, and hydrophysical parameters (except for pH and bulk density) increase downward the slope, which is associated with erosion, namely, the washout of suspended sediments by water flows. The Corg content in the soil tightly correlates with the water stability of soil aggregates (r = 0.91), the concentration of soluble humic substances and fine solids (SAK; r = 0.76), and electroconductivity (r = 0.75). An anti-erosion efficiency of tillage practice increases in the series CV–CS–NT. The NT or CS systems are recommended for the erosion-prone slopes of Alpine foothills.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank M. Faulhammer for the assistance in agrochemical assays and F. Forster for the help in the Laboratory of Soil Physics. We are especially grateful to I.M. Gabbasova and T.T. Garipov for valuable advice.

Funding

This study was supported by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD) under the “Ernst Mach” Grant and by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (section no. AAAA-A18-118022190102-3, project no. 075-00326-19-00).

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  1. Ufa Institute of Biology UFRC, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Oktyabrya 69, 450054, Ufa, Russia

    M. A. Komissarov

  2. Institute for Soil Physics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    A. Klik

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Komissarov, M.A., Klik, A. The Impact of No-Till, Conservation, and Conventional Tillage Systems on Erosion and Soil Properties in Lower Austria. Eurasian Soil Sc. 53, 503–511 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229320040079

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