There is an urgent need to implement environmentally friendly agriculture management practices to achieve the Sustainable Goals for Development (SDGs) of the United Nations by 2030. Mediterranean agriculture is characterized by intense and millennia-old tillage management and as a consequence degraded soil. No-Tillage has been widely examined as a solution for soil degradation but No-Tillage relies more on the application of herbicides that reduce plant cover, which in turn enhances soil erosion. However, No-Tillage with weed cover should be researched to promote organic farming and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, we compare Tillage against No-Tillage using weed cover as an alternative strategy to reduce soil losses in persimmon plantations, both of them under organic farming management. To achieve these goals, two plots were established at “La Canyadeta” experimental station on 25-years old Persimmon plantations, which are managed with Tillage and No-Tillage for 3 years. A survey of the soil cover, soil properties, runoff generation and initial soil losses using rainfall simulation experiments at 55 mm h⁻¹ in 0.25 m² plot was carried out. Soils under Tillage are bare (96.7%) in comparison to the No-Tillage (16.17% bare soil), with similar organic matter (1.71 vs. 1.88%) and with lower bulk densities (1.23 vs. 1.37 g cm³). Tillage induces faster ponding (60 vs. 92 s), runoff (90 vs. 320 s) and runoff outlet (200 vs. 70 s). The runoff discharge was 5.57 times higher in the Tillage plots, 8.64 for sediment concentration and 48.4 for soil losses. We conclude that No-tillage shifted the fate of the tilled field after 3 years with the use of weeds as a soil cover conservation strategy. This immediate effect of No-Tillage under organic farming conditions is very promising to achieve the SDGs.

New management and techniques to reduce soil and water losses are necessary to achieve goals related to sustainability and develop useful agronomical plans. Among the strategies to reduce soil losses, the use of polymers has been studied but little is known about the effect of them on soil aggregates under extreme rainfall conditions. The main aim of this study was to compare the effects of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on initial soil erosion process activation. We applied both products on soils and soil aggregate stability was measured on polymer treated and control plots. Laboratory erosion plots (pans) were placed on 15% slope, and sequential simulated rainfalls (under dry and wet conditions) with 360 mm h⁻¹ intensity were applied for 12 min. Time to runoff, total runoff, runoff sediment yield, and splash sediment yield were determined. The results show that polymers do not delay runoff initiation; however, they reduced total runoff, sediment yield, and soil transported by the splash. PVA was not effective in reducing the total runoff during the first rainfall being PAM more effective in this way. However, under the sequential rainfall, both polymers obtained positive results, showing PAM some improvements in comparison to PVA. The effect of the polymer to reduce soil transported by splash after performing the second rainfall simulation was clearly demonstrated, meanwhile the effects during the first simulation were not significant. The effectiveness of the polymers on soil aggregates increased with increasing aggregate size. The application of polymers reached the highest efficiency on aggregates of 6.4 mm in diameter.

The main aim of this research was to determine the potential effects of different tillage systems (TT: traditional tillage and RT: reduced tillage) on runoff and erosion at two different locations (Kahramanmaras and Tarsus, Southern Turkey) under (i) fallow, (ii) wheat (Triticumaestivum L.), and (iii) sainfoin (Onobrychissativa L.) crops. Rainfall simulations with intensity of 120 mm h⁻¹ and 30-min duration, representing a typical extreme thunderstorm in this area, were used. We quantified the elapsed time to runoff generation (ET), total runoff volume (R), soil loss (SL), sediment concentration (SC), and runoff coefficient (RC). At both locations, the fallow plots indicated the first runoff response ranging between 1.2 and 3.1 min, while the range was between 9.4 and 8.9 min for the sainfoin plots. The highest runoff coefficient was recorded for the fallow parcel in Tarsus (57.7%), and the lowest runoff coefficient was recorded for the sainfoin parcel in Kahramanmaras (4%). For both study sites, the fallow plots showed higher soil erosion rates (871 and 29.21 g m⁻²) compared with the wheat plots (307 and 11.25 g m⁻²), while sainfoin recorded the lowest soil losses (93.68 and 3.45 g m⁻²), for Tarsus and Kahramanmaras, respectively. Runoff and sediment yield generated from sainfoin and wheat parcels under the RT system were less than under the TT system at the Kahramanmaras location. At the Tarsus location, the effect of soil tillage on soil and water losses was insignificant on the sainfoin planted plots. The reduced tillage system was successful in reducing sediment yield and runoff generated from parcels growing wheat and sainfoin compared to traditional tillage in Tarsus location, but runoff and soil loss were found to be very high compared to parcels constructed in the Kahramanmaras location.

Organic matter is essential in improving the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. Thus, the organic matter is widely considered a crucial indicator of environmental quality and biodiversity. In this study, the effect of gyttja addition as a soil conditioner on some physical and chemical properties of soils formed on volcanic and serpentine parent materials was investigated. The layout of the incubation study was randomized plots with 3 replications and the study lasted for 8 months to determine the value of gyttja in improving soil quality in two different parent materials. The results showed that pH, EC, total CaCO₃, soil organic matter (SOM), wet aggregate stability (WSA), structural stability index (SSI), Ca-ex, Mg-ex, Fe-ex and P-av values of volcanic soils were significantly increased with increasing gyttja addition rates, while dispersion ratio (DR), Cu-ex and Cd-ex values were decreased. Likewise, pH, total CaCO₃, SOM, WSA, SSI, Ca-ex and P-av values of serpentine soils were increased with increasing gyttja rates, while DR, Mg-ex, Fe-ex, Cd-ex, Ni-ex, Mn-ex, Cu-ex and Zn-ex values were decreased. The changes in the values of soil properties were statistically significant. The results demonstrated that gyttja addition overall decreased the erosion susceptibility and heavy metal contents of serpentine and volcanic soils. Moreover, the gyttja addition ameliorated some of the chemical soil properties. Therefore, gyttja could be suggested as a soil conditioner in the remediation of problematic soils.

This study examines the relationship between catalase activity in degraded soils and soil properties, and addresses its potential as an indicator of soil health and productivity. Catalase, a key enzyme reflecting microbial activity and soil aeration, has been analyzed in 30 soil samples collected from the disturbed surface layer (0-15 cm depth) of erosion-prone areas characterized by rubble accumulation on hill slopes and soil compaction in foot slopes. The soil in the study area is classified as Typic Xerortent. Catalase enzyme activity in the soil samples varied between 10.4 and 48 µl O2 g-1 dry soil. In addition to catalase, the physicochemical properties of the soil were also assessed, including pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, and texture. Nutrient contents, including nitrogen (0.046-0.239 g N 100 g-1), phosphorus (1.77-20.05 µg P g-1), and potassium (0.01-3.31 meq K 100 g-1), were also measured. A positive correlation was observed between catalase activity and potassium and phosphorus levels, but the relationship with nitrogen was statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that catalase activity can serve as a biological indicator for the early detection of degradation in soils at risk of erosion. The study provides valuable insights into the impact of erosion on soil biochemistry and highlights the role of catalase in assessing soil health and guiding sustainable land management practices.