Ridge‐furrow rainfall harvesting planting and its effect on soil erosion and soil quality in sloping farmland

Ridge‐furrow rainfall harvesting (RFRH) planting can improve crop productivity through enhancing water use efficiency. However, effects of long‐term use of RFRH on soil erosion and soil quality in sloping farmland are not well understood. This experiment was conducted with a two‐factor split plot design, with the main plot having a slope of 5° and 10°. The sub‐plots followed three planting patterns: contour ridge‐furrow planting without mulching (CK), contour ridge film mulching and furrow straw mulching (T1), and contour ridge film mulching and furrow no mulching (T2). The results showed that no significant effect on soil erosion was found under T1 and T2 on 5° slope. The total runoff and total erosion of T1 on 10° slope decreased by 82.8 and 92.0%, and that of T2 on 10° slope decreased by 34.5 and 83.1%, respectively, compared with CK. Soil water content in T1 and T2 significantly increased by 11.0 and 10.6%, respectively, compared with CK (p