Effect of tillage and mode of straw mulch application on soil erosion in the submontaneous tract of Punjab, India

The submontaneous tract of Punjab comprising 10% of the state, is prone to soil erosion by water. Soils of the area are coarse in texture, low in organic matter and poor in fertility. High intensity rains during the monsoon season result in fertile topsoil removal. There is an urgent need to control soil erosion in this region so as to improve soil productivity. A field study was conducted to estimate the effect of tillage and different modes of mulch application on soil erosion losses. Treatments comprised two levels of tillage, viz. minimum (Tm) and conventional (Tc) in the main plots and five modes of straw mulch application, viz. mulch spread over whole plot (Mw), mulch spread on lower one-third of plot (M1/3), mulch applied in strips (Ms), vertical mulching (Mv) and unmulched control (Mo), in subplots in a replicated split plot design. Rate of mulch application was 6 t ha−1 in all modes. Compared with Mo, Mw reduced runoff by 33%. Runoff and soil loss were 5 and 40% higher under Tc than under Tm. Though other modes of straw mulch application (M1/3, Ms and Mv) controlled soil loss better than Mo, their effectiveness was less than Mw. Tm was more effective in conserving soil moisture than Tc. Compared with Mo, Mw had 3–7% higher soil moisture content in the 0–30 cm soil depth under Tm. Minimum soil temperature of the surface layer was 1.4–2.4 °C lower under Mw than under Mo. Straw mulching reduced maximum soil temperature and helped in conserving soil moisture. Minimum tillage coupled with Mw was highly effective in reducing soil erosion losses, decreasing soil temperature and increasing moisture content by providing maximum surface cover.