Rainfall induced changes in soil moisture: A comparative study of conventional and strip tillage

Vojtěch Štros, David Kincl, David Kabelka and Jan Vopravil
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Vojtěch Štros: Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic; Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
David Kincl: Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic; Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
David Kabelka: Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic; Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Jan Vopravil: Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Prague-Zbraslav, Czech Republic; Department of Land Use and Improvement, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Soil and Water Research, vol. preprint

Abstract: Strip tillage is a very popular form of conservation tillage that is used in places with a higher risk of soil erosion. It is commonly accepted that strip tillage reduces the effects of water erosion; however, the exact way this effect is produced is very hard to quantify. This study focuses on the way strip tillage influences soil moisture and the way it changes with different intensities of rainfall, in comparison with conventional tillage. This study was conducted near Petrovice, Středočeský kraj, Czechia, over the course of four years (2021-2024). The conditions of all four test sites were comparable, both in terms of slope and soil type present. The soil moisture of strip tillage in a depth of 15 cm was changing differently in comparison with conventional tillage. During lower intensity rainfall events, the soil moisture of the strip tilled plot changed significantly less in comparison with conventional tillage. On the contrary, when more intense precipitation occurred, the soil moisture in the strip-tilled plot responded with significantly higher changes in comparison with conventional tillage. Soil drying after precipitation was also studied, with the speed of drying of strip tillage being higher than that of conventional tillage. These findings help better understand the changes strip tillage introduces into the soil and to the crops it is used with.

Keywords: conservation technologies; maize; soil conservation; soil water content; TMS sensor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlswr:v:preprint:id:56-2025-swr

DOI: 10.17221/56/2025-SWR

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