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Grown worldwide, potato is one of the most important food crop on the planet. However, its cultivation raises growing environmental concerns, one of them being the issue of soil erosion. Agricultural practices to mitigate those effects are slowly emerging, one of them being known as autumn hilling. As the name suggests, hilling is performed in autumn and subjected to a biological ploughing over the winter. Potatoes can then be directly seeded into them. Since 2017, trials have been conducted on Belgian loamy soils to assess its viability in the region. The aims of this thesis were to assess the efficiency of the technique on erosion control and soil water storage enhancement. This was performed through a series of field measurements, soil characterization and the development of a water-flow simulation model on Hydrus 2D. Treatments effect did not show significant impact on erosion rates and runoff volume. This was attributed to a large variability in field conditions and to a delay in canopy development, which resulted in significantly lowered soil cover at the beginning of the growing season. However, the results of the model over the last 5 years have shown an increase in storage capacity by a factor of 2 in the autumn hills. Although these results require validation in view of the model's limitations, this observation gives a first piece of evidence towards enhanced water conservation capacities in autumn hills, compared to conventional potato cropping, which might prove of great significance in the context of climate change.

Potato, reduced tillage, soil erosion, water conservation, silty loam, Belgium, Hydrus --- Sciences du vivant > Agriculture & agronomie

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Experimenting and developing accessible sustainable agricultural practices have become an economic and ecological major point in Cambodia. This study combines a modelling component with a soil column experiment testing biochar presence, slow-release fertilizer application, and alternate wetting and drying practices on two agronomically predominant soil types (Prateah Lang and Prey Khmer). Two thirds of water balance models were performed with high statistical indicators (NSE = 0,90; 0,98). The data input of the remaining third needs to be reviewed. For nutrient transport and transformation, it was possible to develop models with appropriate statistical indicators despite actual calibrated parameter values, by ignoring the dynamics of irrigation and multiple soil horizons. These models remain to be developed by the integration of concentration and leached amount of nutrient measurements still being processed. Parallel to this, the study highlighted several practices effects. Slow-release fertilizer positively impacts root length and plant height. Biochar improves root length, nutrient adsorption and Prateah Lang's hydraulic response, but seems to lead to the deterioration of Prey Khmer's texture. Alternate wetting and drying water practice system allows to increase root length without impacting plant height and seems to be diminishing water flow nutrient concentration. However, the sustainability of these approaches must be established. Indeed, it is important to take into account the economic and social aspects by considering yield and the workforce's accessibility to these technologies.

Numerical modeling --- HYDRUS-1D --- Nutrient balance --- Alternate wetting and drying --- Slow-release fertilizer --- Rice husck biochar --- Sciences du vivant > Agriculture & agronomie --- Sciences du vivant > Sciences de l'environnement & écologie