The results of long-term application of conservation practices in Tutova Rolling Hills, Eastern Romania, in terms of soil erosion control,
nutrients balance and soil compaction
Research and Development Center for Soil Erosion Control Perieni P.O. Box 1, 731240, Barlad, Vaslui County, Romania
Dumitru Nistor, Nelu Popa, Doina Nistor & Cosmin Hurjui
ESSC CONGRESS, Palermo, Italy, 2007
LOCATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR SOIL EROSION CONTROL PERIENI
RDCSEC PERIENI
UKRAINE
1-5
R Y
Baia Mare
20-30
Suceava
10-15 5 - 10
15-20
MO LD
Iasi
10-15
Oradea Cluj - Napoca Targu Mures
AV
20-30
IA
Arad
10-15 15-20
Deva Sibiu
0
Barlad
1-5
Timisoara
0
Brasov
30-45
5-10
Galati
A KR
IN E
Craiova
10-15
Bucuresti
1-5
BULGARIA
Total erosion on agricultural land - tons/ha/year - After Motoc M
BLA C
15-20 Constanta 5-10
KS EA
A SE
Y U G
1-5
10-15
A V IA
20-30
10-15
Ploiesti
O S L
1-5
K AC BL
The territory of RDCSEC Perieni before and after application of conservation practices
Tarnii Valley in 1966, in the beginning of conservation practices
Tarnii Valley in 2007
Standard runoff plots established in 1970 on Upper Tarnii small watershed
Soil profile in Cambic Chernozem, Tarnii Valley , Eastern Romania
Horiz on Am A/B Bv C
Depth 0-30 31-62 62-93 93-110
Color (moist) 10YR 3/1 10YR 4/4 10YR 6/4 2.5YR 8/4
Particle size distribution Clay 15.7 16.3 15.5 19.6 Silt 9.0 9.9 11.0 16.0 Sand 75.3 73.8 73.5 64.4
Bulk density (g/cm3) 1.34 1.46 1.51 1.63
Organic matter (%) 2.33 1.54
pH 6.9 7.3 7.9 8.0
Vantage Pro Plus weather station
with soil moisture telemetry
Precipitation and average monthly temperatures during 1941-2006, as recorded at Barlad weather station
Precipitation and average monthly temperatures during 1941-2006 Barlad weather station
Precipitation (mm)
90 80 70 60 50 40.0 40 30.9 30 20 10.3 10 0 -10 -3.1 IAN -1.2 FEB MAR APR MAI IUN IUL AUG SEP OCT 3.3 Average monthly temperatures (Celsius degrees) 25.1 24.8 24.1 19.6 16.0 21.4 20.8 16.2 10.2 4.3 -0.6 NOE DEC 31.2 27.0 36.7
Temperature (C degrees)
Average monthly precipitation (mm) 76.8
Average multiannual precipitation 1941-2006 P = 492.2 mm
63.0 55.0 50.4
Average monthly temperature 9.2C
Annual precipitation during 1941-2006, as recorded at Barlad weather station
900
Annual precipitation - Barlad
800
Moving average by 5 years
700
Precipitation (mm)
600
Multiannual average P=492.2
500
400
300
200
1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
Annual temperatures during 1941-2006, as recorded at Barlad weather station
Celsius Degrees
13
Annual average temperatures - Barlad weather station
12 Moving average by 5 years 11 Multiannual average T = 9.8 C degrees
T = 9.2 C degrees
10
1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005
Annual sum of runoff and precipitation, as well as precipitation which triggered runoff during 1970-2006; the plot maintained as
BLACK FALLOW
Annual sum of precipitation and runoff, as well as precipitation which triggered runoff during 1970-2006; plot cultivated with CORN
Annual sum of precipitation and runoff, as well as precipitation which triggered runoff during 1970-2006; plot cultivated with WINTER WHEAT
WINTER WHEAT
Black fallow
Sum of annual erosion and average runoff coefficients during 1970-2006
CORN
Monthly distribution of AVERAGE RUNOFF during 19702006
Monthly distribution of AVERAGE EROSION during 1970-2006
Monthly distribution of RUNOFF COEFFICIENTS during 1970-2006
Losses of fertilizing elements through soil erosion by water during 1995 - 2005
Crop
Runoff Erosion m3/ha t/ha 0, 3 3, 3 56, 7 69, 5 409,9
Humus Soil kg/ha 1 1 ,9 1 1 0 ,7
Nitrogen kg/ha 1, 6 6, 4 % % kg/ha 1, 4 2, 4 20, 5 16,,2 16 2 24, 1 77,3
K2O % 9 4 ,4 % 5 ,5 kg/ha
P2O5 Soil % %
Total Water Soil Total Water Soil Total Water
Brome 2 6 0 ,5 grass Winter 3 2 6 ,8 wheat Soy beans 1699,2 Beans Beans Corn Black fallow 1383,,5 1 38 3 5 2 1 5 1 ,6 4689,3
6 4 ,6 3 5 ,4 1 2 ,1 8 7 ,8 4 ,0 9 5 ,9 4,,0 95,,9 4 0 95 9 5 ,0 9 5 ,0 1,6 98,3
0 ,2 2 8 5 ,1 5 1 4 ,8 5 0 ,5 7 3 9 ,4 8 6 0 ,5 2 6 ,6 5 1 3 ,9 0 8 6 ,1 0 5,,07 14,,39 85,,61 5 07 14 3 9 85 61 8 ,2 3 1 8 ,4 9 8 1 ,5 1 14,45 85,55
65,7 34,2 35,5 64,4 35,,5 64,,4 35 5 64 4 34,3 65,6
1 9 0 3 ,8 1 0 1 , 5 82,,1 82 1 2 2 0 5 ,4 1 1 5 , 2 9593,6 483,4
45,,4 1523,,4 45 4 15 23 4
19,6 80,3 18,49
Gheltag I watershed with conservation practices since 1975
100
75,9 mm / 24 hours
75,44 mm / 1,5 hours
Amount of precipitation (mm)
3,7 mm / min. (21,8 mm / 5,9 min.)
4.0 3.5 3.0
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
5:50 PM 6:00 PM 6:10 PM 6:20 PM 6:30 PM 6:40 PM 6:50 PM 7:00 PM 7:10 PM 7:20 PM 7:30 PM 7:40 PM
2,07 mm / minute (16,51 mm / 7,9 min.)
2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0
Rain rate (mm / minute)
Cumulated amounts of rain (mm) Amounts of rain / 10 min Rain rate (mm/min)
Rainstorm event in May 6 - 9, 2005
100
53,6 mm / 24 hours
3,3 mm / minute (18,03 mm / 5,5 minutes)
Cumulated amounts of rain (mm) Rain rate (mm/minute)
3.5
Amount of precipitation (mm)
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20
2.5
1.5
0.5 10 0
5:30 PM 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM Time 7:30 PM 8:00 PM
0
8:30 PM
Rain rate (mm / minute)
Rainstorm event in August 27, 2004
Gheltag I watershed in June
Gheltag I watershed after rainstorm event in May, 6 9, 2005
The lower most check dam in Gheltag I watershed after rainstorm in May, 2005
Agroterraces in Tarnii Valley, Tutova Rolling Hills, Eastern Romania, grow up by accumulation of eroded soil and tillage erosion by 36 45 mm/year, during 1998 2007. The upbringing rate depends on intensity of rainstorm event and on upland crop: Corn: 3 4 cm / year Soy beans: 2 - 3 cm / year Stubble after winter wheat < 1cm / year
Comparative study on soil erosion by Cs-137 technique on two different systems of agriculture, Valea Seaca watershed, Eastern Romania
Tr. 1 Tr. 2
Transect 2 Transect 1
Transect 1 PM MB1 ROMSEM Transect 2 PM MB1 ROMSEM S1 1,13 1,39 1,52 S2 6,23 8,27 5,38 S3 1,70 2,10 2,42 S4 10,75 15,51 7,13 S5 1,42 1,74 2,63 S6 4,24 5,45 8,50 S7 4,81 6,24 2,88 S8 7,08 9,53 7,48 S9 4,53 5,84 2,57 S10 7,36 9,96 10,26 Averag e 2,72 3,46 2,40 Averag e 7,13 9,74 7,75
Soil compaction by wheel traffic and soil shrinkage due to decline of soil moisture, on sandy-loam Cambic Chernozem, Tarnii Valley, Eastern Romania
Correlation between number of tractor passes and resistance to penetration
Resistance to penetration (KPa)
6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0
PERCENTAGE GROWTH No. of passes 0 3 5 10 15 JUNE 11 14 19 17 15 JULY 119 144 109 63 61 AUGUST SEPTEMBER 177 238 175 134 109 321 254 220 214 156
y = 948.18e R2 = 0.9875
0.0381x
10
15
No. of passes
Penetration resistance (KPa)
No. of passes 0 3 5 10 15 0 3 5 10 15
6000 5500 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500
Resistance to penetration at natural moisture during 1999 - 2003
Zero passes 3 passes 5 passes 10 passes 15 passes
MAY 937 1053 1158 1443 1634 0 12 24 54 74
JUNE
JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER 3944 3728 3701 4527 4183 0 -5 -6 15 6
1039 2054 2593 1204 2570 3562 1382 2426 3183 1691 2347 3382 1882 2638 3420 PERCENTAGE GROWTH 0 0 0 16 25 37 33 18 23 63 14 30 81 28 32
1000 500 0
AY
JU NE
JU LY
AU G US T
SE PT EM
BE R
Dynamics of winter wheat yields in Tarnii watershed, Eastern Romania, between 1963 - 2006
CONCLUSIONS
Conservation practices in Tutova Rolling Hills, Eastern Romania,
protected very well the land and were disturbed only by high intensitylow frequency rainstorm events. The land is marked like a paradigm even after 32 years by previous traditional long-narrow-small plots, up-and-down hill oriented system of agriculture;
The long-term application of conservation practices on slopes smaller than 10%, results in three times diminution of soil losses if compared to traditional long-narrow-small plots, up-and-down hill oriented system of exploitation; Agroterraces formed by accumulation of eroded soil and tillage erosion contribute to reduction of hillside slope and to diminution of water and soil losses; Soil compaction by wheel traffic in different cropping systems (seed bed preparation) ranging from conventional to no-tillage on sandy loam soils in Perieni, can only annihilate the loosening effect of tillage and seed bed preparation in conventional cropping system; Soil compaction by wheel traffic experimented in variants of different numbers of wheel-by-wheel passes, on sandy loam soils in Tutova Rolling Hills, has only a minor influence on root system if compared to soil shrinkage due to natural decline of soil moisture during the vegetation period of corn; The aplication of conservation practices contributed to doubling of winter wheat yield during over 40 years. The increase of winter wheat yields is also the result of genetical and technological progress.
Thank You!
