Wheat Sowing Practices in No‐Tillage Systems Modify the Microrelief and Hydrosedimentological Attributes

RPAS ‐Based Photogrammetry

Bibliographic Data

ID22420873
AuthorsJhonatan Spliethoff (0000-0002-4618-0305, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil), Miguel David Fuentes-Guevara (0000-0002-8735-8499, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil, corresponding author), Leandro Rampim (0000-0001-8300-7424, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil), Marcelo Marques Lopes Müller (0000-0002-5466-2398, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil), Aline Marques Genú (0000-0002-7179-0244, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil), Cristiano André Pott (0000-0002-4630-2659, Postgraduate Program in Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Universidade Estadual do Centro‐Oeste (UNICENTRO) Guarapuava Paraná Brazil)
Year2026
Publication date2026-07-15
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLand Degradation and Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ldr.70806
OpenAlexW7168360556
LanguageEN
References cited49

The microtopographic characteristics of terrain are modified by soil management and conservation practices, affecting water infiltration, storage, runoff generation, and sediment transport. However, assessing soil microtopography at representative spatial scales remains challenging and time‐consuming. Advances in remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) have enabled high‐resolution terrain assessment under on‐farm conditions. This study aimed to explore the use of RPAS‐derived surface models as a methodological approach to monitor soil microrelief, soil cover, and hydrosedimentological attributes before and after wheat sowing in catchment scale managed under long‐term no‐tillage, across different soil conservation systems. Conducted in the Entre Rios District, Guarapuava, Paraná, Brazil, on Xanthic Hapludox soil, the study examined three catchments representing different management systems: non‐terraced catchment (NTC), best management practices (BMPs), and terraced catchment (TC). Parameters assessed before and after wheat sowing included terrain ruggedness index, stream power index, topographic wetness index, micro‐depressions, color index, runoff discharge, and sediment yield. The results revealed contrasting surface and hydrosedimentological patterns among the catchments. The NTC exhibited higher runoff discharge, sediment yield, and faster runoff initiation than the BMPs and TC catchments, whereas BMPs showed greater soil cover (13% bare soil), more pronounced micro‐depression patterns (1.17 m 2 ), lowest TWI values (2.12) after wheat sowing. RPAS‐derived indices consistently detected short‐term changes in soil microrelief and surface cover associated with sowing operations, demonstrating their applicability for monitoring runoff‐related processes under on‐farm conditions. Our findings represent observational comparisons at the catchment scale and highlight the potential of RPAS‐based approaches for evaluating soil surface dynamics and hydrosedimentological responses under different soil management systems.

Drainage basin · Erosion · Sediment · Soil conservation · Sowing · Surface runoff · Terrain · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Soil Geostatistics and Mapping

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