The impact of soil management on surface runoff, soil organic matter content and soil hydrological properties on the undulating landscape of Western Lithuania

The main objective or this paper is to summarise long-term experimental data oil sediment transport, soil organic matter (SOM) losses caused by water erosion and soil moisture potential. Results showed that higher soil losses promote greater SOM loss. Furthermore, various land use systems influence erosion rates and changes in soil physical properties. Erosion-preventive grass-grain crop rotations and perennial grasses for long-term use significantly increased SOM on 2-5 degrees and 5-10 degrees slopes, compared to Field crop rotations. Sod-forming perennial grasses significantly increased SOM oil 10-14 degrees slopes compared with the grain-grass crop rotation. Erosion-preventive cropping systems (grass-grain crop rotations and long-term perennial grasses) significantly increased SOM/SOC when maintained for >= 12 years. Greatest erosion damage occurred in the ploughing treatments (7.25 t ha(-1) yr(-1)). When deep autumn ploughing (CT) was replaced by deep cultivation with a heavy cultivator (RTchisel), soil losses through erosion were 3.1 times as lesser. Soil losses Linder RTautumn and RTspring were 8.9 times less compared to CT and 2.9 times less compared to RTchisel. Soil moisture retention characteristics (free water content and field moisture capacity) were higher (in the 5-10 cm layer R-2 = 0.77* and in the 15-20 cm layer R-2 = 0.74*) in the soil with a higher content SOM (i.e. on the foot of the slope). On the slope amounts of fissures, transmission pores and residual (< 0.6 mu m) pores were similar, while amount of storage pores was higher under shallow ploughing than under deep ploughing. On the foot of the slope amount of fissures, transmission pores and storage pores were higher in shallow ploughing compared to deep ploughing, while content of residual pores was higher under deep ploughing than shallow ploughing. Soil at the foot-slope was able to transmit more of water than soil at the slope position at 1 h and 24 h measurement intervals. Relationships between soil macro-porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were fitted and presented. The hydraulic conductivity of arable layer oil the foot of slope position after 1 h of measurement is rapid, and oil the slope it is moderately rapid.