Tillage erosion

[6][1][3] Tillage erosion results in soil degradation, which can lead to significant reduction in crop yield and, therefore, economic losses for the farm.

[3][6] Local topography related tillage erosion is most pronounced in hummocky landscapes with eroded hilltops that often exhibit a light soil color due to the loss of organic-rich topsoil, a phenomenon often mistakenly assumed to be the result of water erosion.

Soil loss and accumulation by tillage erosion can be estimated from changes in surface elevation.

For example, elevation of a tilled field can be compared to an adjacent reference object that has not been eroded such as a fence line or hedgerow.

Elevation change can also be determined by taking repeated measurements of the soil surface elevations with high accuracy topographic survey techniques such as RTK GPS, total station and close range photogrammetry.

[22][23][24][25] Tillage erosion causes loss of fertile top soil from the eroding portion of the field.

Moreover, the degraded soil in the eroding portion of the field will be horizontally mixed into adjacent areas through tillage translocation.

Subsoil often has undesirable soil properties for crop growth (e.g., less organic carbon, poor structure).

[7][8] As soil is degraded due to tillage erosion, it can lead to some environmental issues such as increased nutrient losses and GHG emissions.

In addition, downslope movement of soil can be compensated by using a reversible moldboard plough to throw the furrow upslope.