Gypsum soil amendment as a management practice in conservation tillage to improve water quality

No-till agriculture is the most common method used to control soil erosion on highly erodible lands in agricultural production in the United States. The interrill, rill, and gulley erosion that are common in conventional tillage on slope lands are reduced with no-tillage. No-till has been shown by many studies to significantly reduce the amount of soil erosion, but results for reduction of runoff quantity and water quality vary depending on soils and conditions. In no-till, chemicals are not incorporated and are applied at or near the soil surface in soluble forms that are subject to movement when runoff does occur. The purpose of this article is to introduce gypsum as a viable soil amendment in no-till agriculture to reduce runoff volume and improve the quality of runoff waters, particularly where manure has been surface applied.