Effects of conservation tillage on soil, water loss and crop yield on sloping land in Beijing, China

Soil and water loss on sloping croplands are one of the major environmental problems attracting widespread attention all over the world. Various techniques including terrace and contour tillage for protection were used in recent years but the effects were limited. In this research, the effects of conservation tillage on soil, water loss and crop yield were studied under simulated rainfall in Beijing, China. The results show that the application of conservation tillage averagely decreased runoff by 40% and soil loss by 29%. However, the crop yield was also averagely decreased by 16% by conservation tillage. It can be concluded that the conservation tillage is very efficient in reducing soil and water loss on sloping croplands in studied area, but this practice should be only applied on sandy soil and loamy soil to avoid its negative effects on crop yield. This conclusion is very useful for the application of conservation tillage and the controlling of soil and water loss in Beijing, China.