ChileanJAR

This experiment was carried out to determine the efficiency of two practices on soil erosion protection: contour cropping and the presence of low amounts of residues (175 kg/ha) on the surface of the soil. The soil was a "trumao" (dystrandept) with 11 per cént slope.
Raps (Brassica napus var. oleracea L.) was sown in 1979 on 2 x 20 m plots, with sediment measurement devices. The.use of both practices indicated reduced soil losses by 49,1 per cent as compared to the tradi· tional method of burning residues and seeding up and down the hill. Soillosses, extrapolated to 100 m long, were 12.66 ton/ha/year for the protection method, and 24.86 ton/ha/year tor the traditional one.
This results indicate that, with low cost methods, it is possible to control erosion in trumaos with slopes under 10 per cent.