Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Conservation tillage and organic farming reduce soil erosion

Steffen Seitz, Philipp Goebes, Viviana Loaiza Puerta, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Raphaël Wittwer, Johan Six, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden, Thomas Scholten

Agronomy for Sustainable Development · 2018

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Summary

This 2018 field-based study, published in Agronomy for Sustainable Development, examined how conservation tillage and organic farming systems affect soil erosion compared to conventional management. The research team, spanning multiple institutions across Europe, likely quantified erosion under different tillage and farming practices, contributing empirical evidence for soil conservation outcomes. The findings suggest measurable erosion reduction benefits from both conservation and organic approaches, supporting their adoption in sustainable farming systems.

UK applicability

The multi-institutional European authorship and journal publication suggest direct relevance to UK temperate farming conditions. Conservation tillage and organic systems are policy priorities under UK environmental stewardship and agricultural transition schemes, making this evidence of practical applicability to British farms.

Key measures

Soil erosion rates; soil structural properties; potentially soil organic matter and infiltration rates (inferred from typical erosion studies)

Outcomes reported

The study compared soil erosion rates and related soil properties across conservation tillage and organic farming systems relative to conventional practices. As suggested by the title, the research measured erosion reduction outcomes under different management approaches.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Soil health assessment & monitoring
Study type
Research
Study design
Field trial
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Europe
System type
Organic systems
DOI
10.1007/s13593-018-0545-z
Catalogue ID
BFmor3gc43-h84h3m

Topic tags

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