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Management of soil surface characteristics for soil and water conservation: the case of a silty loam region (Pays de Caux, France)
Author(s) -
Martin P.,
Joan A.,
Souchère V.,
Papy F.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.1105
Subject(s) - surface runoff , soil conservation , loam , environmental science , agriculture , context (archaeology) , erosion , watershed , hydrology (agriculture) , water resource management , agricultural engineering , environmental resource management , soil science , geography , soil water , computer science , geology , engineering , ecology , geotechnical engineering , paleontology , archaeology , machine learning , biology
This paper explores, from an agronomic viewpoint, the way soil surface characteristics may be managed for soil and water conservation purposes in a silty loam soil context (Pays de Caux, France). We rst consider the tools used to characterize the impact of farming practices on soil surface characteristics and, as a result, on runoff and erosion processes. The way farming practices modify soil surface characteristics must be considered at various spatial scales, from the metric pattern produced by farm machinery, to the network of eld boundaries, headlands and dead furrows at the small‐watershed scale. Various time scales (yearly, daily) must also be taken into account. We then describe how a range of agricultural techniques that may reduce runoff risk on farmland can be found. In particular, we show how to analyse the farmers' leeway for adopting more opportune cultivation techniques specifying the impact of these techniques on plant growth or on work organization. But other factors such as social factors (farmers' network) also interfere and should be taken into account in soil and water protection programmes. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.