Protection of soils from erosion on an ecotone basis

Abstract

Purpose: to analyze the runoff-regulating role of the underlying surface of loose (ploughed field) and compacted (winter crops, perennial grasses) arable land. Materials and methods. Meltwater and rainwater runoff, as well as soil erosion, were measured at permanent and temporary runoff plots. Physical and hydro-physical soil properties were determined using methods standard in soil science and agriculture. Results. The underlying surface (0–30 cm soil layer with vegetation and root system) was studied in long-term research (1970–2026) in field crop rotation systems in the ordinary chernozem zone of southern Russia. It was determined that, depending on the method of soil cultivation (moldboard, subsurface, chisel, surface, no-till) and its preparation for winter wheat sowing, the number of mechanized operations, and the crop grown in the field, the resulting surfaces have different physical and hydro-physical properties, which will determine the intensity of erosion processes (melt and rainwater runoff, soil erosion). The intensity of agrogenic degradation of the soil cover and its fertility will depend on their water-retaining and soil-protecting role. Conclusions. Strengthening the anti-erosion role of the underlying surface is possible through the ecotone principle of constructing soil-protection system by saturating it with techniques, technologies, and measures that ensure control over erosion processes. These may include specialized agricultural techniques (slitting, soil deepening, mole control, etc.), the creation of a forest plantation system, their reinforcement with simple hydraulic structures (embankments, canals, dams), as well as scientifically based spatial combinations of underlying surfaces with different properties (strip placement of agricultural crops and agricultural backgrounds).