Soil Erosion from Tillage and Planting Systems Used in Soybean Residue: Part I - Influences of Row Spacing

Arainfall simulator was used to compare soil losses from various tillage and planting systems used in residue from soybeans which had been grown in both wide and narrow spaced rows the previous season. Up-and-down hill tillage and planting treatments ranging from a double disk system to no-till planting were evaluated using replicated plots on a silt loam soil in the Nora Series having a 10% slope. Tillage and planting systems used in soybean residue from narrow spaced rows had soil erosion and soil erosion rates that were reduced by approximately 50% compared to the same systems used in residue from wide spaced soybeans. However, the reductions were significant only for the double disk tillage system. There was a trend for the start of runoff to be delayed and for residue cover, accumulated runoff, runoff rate, and sediment concentration to be reduced for tillage systems used in narrow row soybean residue compared to the same systems used in residue from wide spaced rows.