NO-TILL AND SOIL PROTECTION FROM WIND EROSION

Abstract

Wind erosion is one of the leading factors of soil fertility loss and a serious problem
for the south-east of the European territory of Russia. The intensity of soil destruction by
wind depends on the nature of the impact on the soil when growing crops. In the zone of insufficient moisture in the Central Fore-Caucasus, the anti-wind erosion stability of the soil
surface was studied with various agricultural technologies – No-till and traditional. It was
found that the content of the erosion hazard fraction (particles with a diameter of less than 1
mm) in the topsoil (0-5 cm) layer if using traditional technology is 1.10-1.72 times higher
than with the use of No-till technology, which provide a more stable structure, especially in
conditions of dry winter and severe drought. In case of rejection of tillage in direct seeding
technology, wind erosion (the intensity of soil destruction by wind) in most cases decreases by 1.21-5.88 times. The potential annual soil loss because of removal by wind from the open
surface of ordinary chernozem for the conditions of dust storms in the zone of unstable humidification of the Stavropol Territory using No-till technology were lower than the traditional one and varied, respectively, in the range of 0.29-16.27 t/ha and 0.53-24.25 t/ha· per year.
The technology of direct seeding has an additional advantage, since it forms a cover of crop
residues on the surface, which increases the anti-wind erosion stability of the soil. Therefore,
the use of No-till in combination with forest strips will help to protect the soil from removal
by wind in areas with high wind speed during dust storms as much as possible.