Conservation tillage in Appalachia

Excerpt

A significant percentage of agricultural land is eroding faster than the topsoil can be replenished through natural processes. In the Appalachian states, soil loss from sheet and rill erosion averages 20.4 metric tons per hectare (9.1 tons/acre) (20). This is nearly double the average annual rate of soil loss on cropland in the contiguous 48 states. About 78 percent of the soil eroded by water in Appalachia is lost through sheet and rill erosion on crop, pasture, range, and forest land (20).

Because of the topography, soils, and climate, severe erosion and moisture storage problems occur in Appalachia when conventional tillage practices are used. Conservation tillage practices protect the soil against erosion, enhance infiltration, and reduce evaporation losses.

The Appalachian Region

The Appalachian Region covers all or parts of 13 states. The region extends north and south from New York to Alabama and east and west from Maryland to Mississippi. It encompasses about 51 million hectares (126 million acres) and is home for nearly one-tenth of the nation's population.

Physiographically, the region consists of mountains and high plateaus (46%), hills and low plateaus (38%), and plains and lowlands (16%) (2). A high percentage of the farmland is rolling and hilly; only 15 to 20 percent is in land capability classes I to III (2). …