RT Journal Article
T1 Impact of Weed Control by Hand Tools on Soil Erosion under a No-Tillage System Cultivation.
A1 Blanco-Sepúlveda, Rafael
A1 Aguilar-Carrillo, Amílcar
A1 Lima-Cueto, Francisco Javier
K1 Suelos - Erosión
AB In conservation agriculture, the no-tillage cultivation system and the retention of permanentvegetal cover are crucial to the control of soil erosion by water. This paper analyses the cultivation ofmaize under no-tillage, with particular reference to the effect produced on soil erosion when weedcontrol is performed by a hand tool (machete), which disturbs the surface of the soil, and to thebehavior of the soil cover in these circumstances. The study area is located in the humid tropicalmountains of northern Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas Massif Nature Reserve). The results obtained showthat 59.2% of the soil surface was affected by appreciable levels of sheet and splash erosion, althoughthe vegetal cover of the soil was relatively high (with average weed and litter cover of 33.9% and33.8%, respectively). The use of machetes for weed control provoked considerable soil disturbance,which explained the high rates of erosion observed. Moreover, this form of soil management disturbsthe litter layer, making it less effective in preventing erosion. The litter remains loose on the soilsurface, and so an increase in soil cover does not achieve a proportionate reduction in the area affectedby erosion; thus, even with 80–100% weed and litter cover, 42% of the cultivated area continued topresent soil erosion.
PB MDPI
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30036
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30036
LA eng
NO Blanco-Sepúlveda, R.; Aguilar-Carrillo, A.; Lima, F. Impact of Weed Control by Hand Tools on Soil Erosion under a No-Tillage System Cultivation. Agronomy 2021, 11, 974. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050974
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 21 ene 2026