Soil Erosion Network: Experimental Metadata
Tillage Erosion, Masvingo and Harare, Zimbabwe

 
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1999

 

1 CONTACT PERSON
1.1 Name Ms Adelaide Moyo
1.2 Address Makoholi Research Station
Agritex Contill Project,
Box 790, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
1.3 Tel +263 39 7006/63255
1.4 Fax +263 39 64035
1.5 E-mail
1.6 List other researchers involved: Messrs Isaiah Nyagumbo and Martin Munyati.
2 WATER EROSION
2.1  mm2 - cm2: Dynamics of soil aggregation
2.2  m2: soil surface dynamics: physical degradation (surface sealing, crusting) and its impact on surface roughness, infiltration and runoff: influence of tillage (mulched, ridged, ripped or ploughed) on run-off and infiltration; biological processes: the effect of ground cover (crop, mulch and weed) on run-off and subsequent soil loss.
2.6 Other scale or processes investigated: interrill and rill erosion: sheet erosion is quantified on arable land (cropped and bare plots).
3 WIND EROSION
4 MASS MOVEMENTS
5 TILLAGE EROSION
Tillage erosion assessment on 300 m2 run-off plots. Five tillage systems are being tested on their effect on erosion. Can newly developed conservation tillage techniques reduce erosion to tolerable levels? Conventional mould board ploughing serves as the basis for comparison.
6 TEMPORAL SCALE OF EXPERIMENTS
6.1 events: Yes
6.2 days: Yes
6.3 weeks: Yes
6.4 months: -
6.5 years: Yes
6.6 remarks + the experiment has been on-going since 1988/89 and 1996/97 might be its final year. Validation of an already existing soil erosion model (SLEMSA) will be done.

Met data is collected daily. Run-off and soil loss quantification is done on an event basis i.e. after every storm. Ground cover, plant growth parameters and soil moisture measurements are carried out weekly. Yield assessment and some soil analyses are done annually.

:
7 DESCRIPTION OF EROSION FACTORS STUDIED
7.1 Climate: Daily rainfall (quantity, intensity), evaporation.
7.2 Topography: Slopes (length and steepness fixed).
7.3 Soils: Hydraulic conductivity, water retention, bulk density, texture, organic matter, aggregate stability, soil moisture and analysis of sediments.
7.4 Vegetation: None
7.5 Management: Maize production suitable for small scale and communal farming, land is tilled using ox-drawn implements.
7.6 Others:
8 FIELD EXPERIMENTS Description of the field site and of the type of experiments and equipment involved for each of the erosion processes being studied:
8.1 Erosion process: (1) Quantification of soil loss and run-off from 300 m2 run-off plots. Treatments include one bare fallow and four tillage systems.
8.2 Location (town, state, country): (1) Makoholi Research Station, Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
(2) Domboshawa Training Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe.
8.3 Equipment involved: Sediment tanks; spectrophotometer; double ring infiltrometer; neutron probe weather station; crop cover frames.
8.4 Remarks: Neutron probe and weather station currently out of order.
9 LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS Description of the laboratory and the type of experiments and equipment involved for each of the erosion processes studied:
  • Soil retention: pressure pots
  • Hydraulic conductivity: permeameter
  • Aggregate stability: wet sieving
  • Bulk density: ring
  • Texture: hydrometer
10 REMARKS
During three of the nine years (1993/94 to 1995/96) sediments have not only been quantified but they also have been analysed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, organic matter, texture. The nutrients lost as a result of erosion will be compared relative to nutrient losses due to leaching and plant uptake.

Productivity loss due to erosion is being quantified, where topsoil is artificially removed from plots and yield assessed (scalping depths of 0; 5; 10; 15 and 20 cm).

11 LIST RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
Moyo A. and J. Hagmann, 1994. Growth-effective rainfall in maize production under different tillage systems in semi-arid conditions and shallow granitic sands of southern Zimbabwe. In proceedings of 13th International Soil Tillage Research Organisation Conference, Vol. 1, pp 475-480. Aalborg, Denmark.

Moyo, A. 1996. The effect of soil erosion on soil productivity as influenced by tillage: with special reference to clay and organic matter losses. Paper presented at the ISCO Conference in Bonn, August, 1996. (In press).

Moyo, A. 1996. Summary results of the on-station results at Makoholi: 1988-1995. (Not yet published).

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