Okuzeka
Agriculture vocabulary · Soil and Land Management

Soil erosion

Meaning in agriculture, with examples

nounCore term

In agriculture, soil erosion means: The loss of the top layer of soil when it is carried away by water or wind, often made worse by bare ground, slopes and heavy tillage.

In Turkish: toprak erozyonu, toprak aşınması

How it is used

A central topic in soil conservation, land planning and environmental reports. Experts distinguish water erosion and wind erosion and recommend contour farming, terraces, cover crops and reduced tillage to control it.

Example sentences

  1. Plowing up and down the slope speeds up soil erosion.

  2. Cover crops reduced soil erosion on the hillside vineyards.

Common collocations

  • prevent soil erosion
  • water erosion
  • wind erosion
  • erosion control
  • soil conservation
  • topsoilThe upper layer of soil, usually a few tens of centimeters deep, which is darker and richer in organic matter, roots and soil life than the layers below.
  • cover cropA crop grown mainly to protect and improve the soil between main crops, rather than to be harvested, such as vetch, clover, rye or mustard.
  • no-till farmingA system in which crops are sown directly into the remains of the previous crop without plowing or other soil cultivation.
  • tillageThe preparation of soil for growing crops by mechanical work such as plowing, harrowing or cultivating.
  • soilThe loose upper layer of the earth, made of minerals, organic matter, water and air, in which plants grow and take up water and nutrients.

More terms: Soil and Land Management

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: