Can Soil Tillage Increase Soil Erosion?

Undesirable translocation of soil particles in the direction of movement of machines can occur during soil tillage. The result can be a reduction in soil fertility, especially when the cultivation is deeper. A field experiment was based on sandy loam cambisoil, where white limestone grit was used as tracers (fraction 10 - 16 mm). A Kromexim blade cultivator was used for tillage, the other machine was an Akpil disc cultivator. After loosening the soil to a depth of 0.10 m, the displacement of the tracers was eva<not sign>luated. A significant influence of the field slope and the movement direction of the machines on the displacement of the tracers was revealed. With the blade cultivator, the movement of tracers was detected up to a distance of 2.4 m when driving uphill, 3.6 m when driving in the contour direction and 4.2 m when moving down the slope. With the disc cultivator, significantly less displacement of the tracers was found - at all levels of inclination up to a distance of 1 m. The results of the field experiment can contribute to extend the knowledge of one of the negative effects on the fertility of arable soil.