HighlightsConservation practices (straw mulch, manure, peanut-orange intercrop) reduced soil and water loss vs. tillage.Reductions in soil loss were greatest under high rainfall intensity or low soil moisture.Measured interrill erodibility was relatively high in dry run tests and decreased with the final infiltration rate.ABSTRACT.Tillage practices have been adopted extensively to control runoff and soil loss from croplands. To quantify the effects of tillage practices on erosion processes in interrill areas, microplot rainfall simulation experiments were conducted in peanut fields with five tillage practices in the red soil region of China. The results showed that conservation tillage practices, including straw mulch cover (PC), manure fertilizer (PM), and peanut-orange intercropping (PO), could significantly conserve water and reduce soil loss rates by more than 50% compared with traditional furrow (PF) and peanut-radish rotation (PR) treatments. The variations in the hydrologic and soil loss indexes among the treatments were larger in the dry run tests than in the wet run tests. Accordingly, the efficiencies of the conservation practices in reducing soil loss were reflected mainly under a high rainfall intensity or low soil moisture in this study. Additionally, the runoff generation indexes were significantly correlated with the soil loss rate in all five treatments. The measured interrill erodibility was highest in the PR treatment (944,124 kg s-1 m-4) and lowest in the PO and PM treatments (571,797 and 584,238 kg s-1 m-4, respectively), as the organic matter content and aggregate stability were relatively high in the two conservation treatments. Influenced by the dynamics of loose materials and possible surface sealing, the interrill erodibility was relatively high and decreased with the final infiltration rate when measured under the dry run conditions. These results could guide cropland soil management and improve process-based erosion models. Keywords: Interrill erodibility, Interrill erosion, Rainfall simulation, Red soil region, Tillage practices.
Effect of In-Situ Moisture Conservation Practices on Soil Moisture Content of Rainfed Bt Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)