Effectiveness of conservation agriculture (tillage vs. vegetal soil cover) to reduce water erosion in maize cultivation (Zea mays L.): An experimental study in the sub-humid uplands of Guatemala

Abstract

Abstract Cultivated uplands in tropical latitudes are severely affected by soil water erosion. Conservation agriculture (CA) is specifically intended to control erosion. The aim of the present study is to analyse the effectiveness of CA measures to reduce the erosion in maize cultivation (Zea mays L.) on andosols in the mountains of southern Guatemala. Resolving this question is crucial to the development of sustainable soil policies appropriate to the conditions prevailing in this region. The study was conducted over a three-year period, from 2017 to 2019, on three experimental plots managed under conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no-tillage (NT). The general-to-specific (GETS) method, based on reduction theory, was used to generate explanatory models of the erosion-affected surface. The study was carried out at two scales, first, with the complete database, and second, the database was segmented according to the agricultural management systems. The results showed different rates of eroded soil surface between the three management systems: 73.2% under CT, 41.3% under RT and 20.4% under NT. Analysis of the complete database (n\xa0=\xa036) showed that the litter cover (ryl.p\xa0=\xa0–0.86, p