Scholarly record

EFFECT OF CATCH CROPS ON REDUCTION OF SOIL EROSION: CASE OF LIELUPE AND VENTA RIVER BASIN DISTRICTS

Agnese Krieviņa

Abstract

Catch crops have the potential to positively affect soil and environmental quality, including the reduction of soil erosion by water. As growing of catch crops require additional costs, farmers should be aware of the benefits that catch crops can provide. The objective of the paper is to evaluate the potential effect of catch crops with respect to reduction of soil erosion in transboundary Lielupe and Venta river basin districts (RBDs) shared by Latvia and Lithuania. Both RBDs are characterized by intensive crop farming which results in elevated N concentrations in river water bodies and N loads transported into the Baltic Sea. Application of catch crops is, first of all, supposed to reduce nutrient pollution of waters, however, along with reduced N losses catch crops also provide other important ecosystem services. The study seeks to assess the effect of catch crops on the reduction of the loss of soil organic matter and N due to soil water erosion. Preserved soil organic matter and N are further considered as a farm-level benefits assuming that this translates into less investment needed to sustain an adequate soil fertility. For the assessment of catch crop potential to preserve the soil from being lost by water erosion in Venta and Lielupe RBDs two simple methods were applied in the study. The first is based on the results of the RUSLE model calculations performed by Joint Research Centre of EC in 2015 (erosion rates and assumed erosion reduction rate by catch crops), while the second relies on the results and findings from the experimental erosion studies carried out in Lithuania, providing information on soil erosion rates from different slopes under various crop rotations. The application of the first method gives rather conservative results (as the average erosion rate of arable land is used), serving as a provisional evaluation of the effect. While the second method provides rather high results as it is based on the areas sensitive to soil erosion. The results of the study demonstrate that catch crop erosion reduction effect is comparatively small at the agricultural sector level, though the benefits may be considerable at the individual farm level. The erosion reduction effect can be complemented by other catch crop effects reducing N inputs.

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