Soil erosion is amplified by the increased precipitation and rainfall erosivity caused by the changing climate, particularly for global mid-high latitude areas. Yet soil erosion processes and proper tillage practices are not well understood at the crop seedling stage, when the annual precipitation is usually concentrated in these regions. Simulated rainfall experiments were conducted at the rainfall intensities of 50- and 100-mm h−1 to investigate the differences in soil erosion of a 5° hillslope during the maize seedling stage between conservation and conventional tillage measures, including cornstalk mulching (Cm), horizontal ridging (Hr), horizontal ridging + mulching (Hr+Cm), vertical ridging + mulching (Vr+Cm), vertical ridging (Vr) and flat-tillage (CK). The results demonstrated that crops, at the seedling stage, can reduce soil erosion by altering the distribution of raindrops and reduce its kinetic energy. Conservation tillage measures significantly reduced total runoff (11.7 %–100 %) and sediment yield (71.1 %–100 %), delayed runoff-yield start time (85 s–26.1 min), decreased runoff velocity (71.5 %–96.7 %), and reduced runoff and soil loss rates, compared to conventional tillage measures. Mulching showed better performance than Hr. It reduced sediment concentration (∼70.6 %–100 %) by reducing runoff velocity and soil particle filtration. The contour ridge ruptured earlier at 100 mm h−1 than at 50 mm h−1 and changed the characteristics of the soil erosion by providing a larger source of sediment for surface runoff. Runoff rate, rather than soil erodibility, was the key factor affecting soil erosion. Decreasing runoff velocity was more important than controlling the amount of runoff. The Hr + Cm treatment exhibited the lowest soil erosion and is recommended for adoption at the maize seedling stage in sloping farmland. Our findings provide an optimized tillage method to mitigate soil erosion in spring in Northeast China.

中文翻译：

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水平培土和覆盖物作为最佳耕作方法，以减少 Mollisol 山坡的地表径流和侵蚀


气候变化导致降水和降雨侵蚀增加，加剧了土壤侵蚀，特别是对于全球中高纬度地区。然而，在作物幼苗阶段，土壤侵蚀过程和适当的耕作方法并没有得到很好的理解，因为年降水量通常集中在这些地区。在 50 和 100 mm h-1 的降雨强度下进行了模拟降雨实验，以研究玉米幼苗阶段 5° 山坡土壤侵蚀的差异保护措施和常规耕作措施，包括玉米秸秆覆盖 （Cm）、水平起垄 （Hr）、水平起垄 + 覆盖 （Hr+Cm）、垂直起垄 + 覆盖 （Vr+Cm）、垂直起垄 （Vr） 和平耕 （CK）。结果表明，作物在苗期可以通过改变雨滴的分布来减少水土流失，降低雨滴的动能。与传统耕作措施相比，保护性耕作措施显著降低了总径流 （11.7 %–100 %） 和沉积物产量 （71.1 %–100 %），延迟了径流产量开始时间（85 s–26.1 min），降低了径流速度 （71.5 %–96.7 %），并降低了径流和土壤流失率。覆盖显示出比 Hr 更好的性能。它通过降低径流速度和土壤颗粒过滤来降低沉积物浓度 （∼70.6 %–100 %）。等高岭在 100 mm h-1 处破裂的时间早于 50 mm h-1 时，并通过为地表径流提供更大的沉积物来源来改变土壤侵蚀的特征。径流率而不是土壤可蚀性是影响土壤侵蚀的关键因素。降低径流速度比控制径流量更重要。 Hr + Cm 处理表现出最低的土壤侵蚀，建议在倾斜农田的玉米幼苗阶段采用。我们的研究结果为减轻东北地区春季的水土流失提供了一种优化的耕作方法。