Linking tillage practices to soil health, crop productivity, and erosion control in maize – wheat rotation

Igor Bogunovic; Paulo Pereira; Marija Galic; Aleksandra Percin; Ivica Kisic; Vilim Filipovic; Lana Filipovic; Sun Geng; Xiaoyan Tang; Qinli Xiong; Yanbao Lei; Kristina Kljak; Sebastiano Trevisani

doi:10.2478/johh-2026-0016

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Linking tillage practices to soil health, crop productivity, and erosion control in maize – wheat rotation

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

Volume 74 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Igor Bogunovic, Paulo Pereira, Marija Galic, Aleksandra Percin, Ivica Kisic, Vilim Filipovic, Lana Filipovic, Sun Geng, Xiaoyan Tang, Qinli Xiong, Yanbao Lei, Kristina Kljak and Sebastiano Trevisani

Open Access

|Sep 2026

Abstract

The suitability of conservation tillage in maize–wheat interrow farming in a young plum orchard in Croatia to control runoff, soil, and element loss under natural rainfall was evaluated. Paired runoff plots (20 m² size) comparing conventional (ploughing and discing) and conservation (chisel and harrow) tillage were implemented in triplicate across Stagnosols (11° slope). Soil physical (bulk density, penetration resistance, mean weight diameter, water stable aggregates) and chemical properties (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and copper) were assessed alongside event-based overland flow formation monitoring. After two years, conservation tillage maintained or improved soil structure, with significantly higher aggregate stability and soil carbon at 0–10 cm depth. Moreover, no clear increase in compaction was documented during the shift to conservation tillage. Conservation tillage exhibited a clear and significant mitigation effect on surface flows of water, sediment, and chemical elements. Sediment concentration decreased from 8.95 to 3.11 g L^–1, runoff was 40.5% lower, and cumulative soil loss declined from 8.57 to 2.97 t ha^–1 over the two years. Importantly, reduced sediment export translated into markedly lower off-site losses. Conventional tillage increased losses of phosphorus (~3.4×), potassium (~3.2×), copper (~2.6×) and nitrogen (~1.7×) relative to conservation tillage. Overall, non-inversion loosening in orchard inter-rows proved an effective conservation practice for reducing runoff, soil erosion, and chemical export under natural rainfall, supporting on-site soil health and reducing off-site pollution.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2026-0016 | Journal eISSN: 1338-4333 (formerly 0042-790X) | Journal ISSN: 0042-790X

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Language: English

Page range: 224 - 235

Submitted on: Apr 24, 2026

Accepted on: May 25, 2026

Published on: Sep 5, 2026

Published by: Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

Agroforestry systems,

Cereal cropping systems,

Conservation agriculture,

Soil degradation,

Sustainable agriculture

Related subjects:

Engineering,

Introductions and overviews,

Engineering, other

© 2026 Igor Bogunovic, Paulo Pereira, Marija Galic, Aleksandra Percin, Ivica Kisic, Vilim Filipovic, Lana Filipovic, Sun Geng, Xiaoyan Tang, Qinli Xiong, Yanbao Lei, Kristina Kljak, Sebastiano Trevisani, published by Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 74 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)