Effect of Chisel Versus Moldboard Plowing on Soil Erosion by Water

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Abstract
We conducted an experiment using simulated rainfall on a field that was chisel plowed annually for 13 years before the experiment to compare erosion from this condition with moldboard plowing in the same field. One treatment was fall moldboard plowed, a second fall chiselled with some residue left on the surface, and a third was untilled in the fall with all residue removed in the spring. All three treatments were disked lightly in the spring. After the initial experiment was completed, residue was added so that all treatments had about 20% surface cover.During the initial rain application with no residue added, soil losses from the third treatment without surface residue were the same as those from the chisel plowed and disked surface with some surface residue. Both these treatments had only 23% of the soil loss of the moldboard plowed and disked treatment. During succeeding simulated rainfall under wet and very wet soil conditions, soil loss from the disked only treatment was up to 80% of that for the moldboard‐plowed treatment. When residue was added to all treatments, soil loss from the chisel‐plowed treatment was less than one‐half that from the moldboard‐plowed treatment.

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