Summary
This three-year field trial across six sites in the Belgian loess belt evaluated strip-tillage and legume/grass undersowing as conservation practices for spring maize to reduce water and sediment loss. Strip-tillage significantly reduced runoff (31%) and soil loss (60%) compared to conventional tillage, though it incurred an 11% yield penalty; undersowing proved ineffective for runoff and sediment control and similarly reduced yields by 11% due to herbicide constraints. Process-based modelling of strip-tillage scenarios suggested pluvial flood hazard could be reduced by approximately 50% across the Belgian loess belt, though sediment transport modelling in strip-tilled systems requires further development.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK cereal production in vulnerable silt loam regions (notably England's Midlands and East Anglia), where spring-sown crops and similar soil types create comparable erosion and runoff risks. The yield penalties and weed control trade-offs identified here would require investigation under UK growing conditions and agronomic practices before policy or practice recommendations could be made.
Key measures
Runoff volume (%), soil loss (%), herbicide surface loss, maize grain yield (% change), pluvial flood hazard reduction (%)
Outcomes reported
The study measured runoff, soil loss, herbicide surface loss, maize yield, and modelled flood hazard and sediment transport across six trial sites over three cropping seasons under natural rainfall conditions. Strip-tillage and undersowing treatments were compared to conventional sole-maize controls.
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