Soil de­gra­da­tion by soil erosion is evident on the hilly- undula­ting landsca­pe, when com­mon land use systems, containing tilla­ge crops, are practised by land ow­ners. Results of long-term field investigations enab­le the proposal of specific erosion‑resistant land ma­na­ge­ment systems, which enable us to loca­lize and sta­bilize erosion processes on are­as most vulne­rable to soil erosion. It is fe­a­sible to im­ple­ment soil-protecting land use systems (i.e. erosion- re­sistant crop rota­tions and long-term pe­rennial grasses) de­signed for fields of vary­ing size, slope gradient and soil texture. The­se agro- environmental aims can be integrated with rural tourism, thus enabling re­ha­bilita­tion of de­gra­ded land and im­proving the socio- economic situation of rural villages. Matching specific soil tilla­ge ope­ra­tions with intensity of fertiliza­tion permits further re­tarda­tion of soil erosion intensity. The proposed vision of the modern Lithua­nian villa­ge is thus to re­com­mend new activities for local land owners and to promote sustainable and environmentally- friendly economic de­ve­lopment

Data has been obtained from sandy loam Eutric Albeluvisol-ABe at the Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture on the undulating topography of Western Lithuania. Results from 18 years of investigations show significant increases in soil organic matter (SOM) content under grass-grain crop rotations compared with field and grain-grass crop rotations, which thus provides evidence for carbon sequestration in soil.

Biogeotextiles constructed from the leaves of Borassus aethiopum and Mauritia flexuosa are investigated at the Kaltinėnai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Biogeotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope in Lithuania suggest biogeotextile mats are an effective and sustainable soil conservation technique. Biogeotextiles have a potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion. The investigations demonstrated that a cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses increased by 52.0–63.4% under cover of Borassus mats and by 18.6–28.2% under cover of Buriti mats. Over 2 years, the biogeotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 90.8% and 81.5% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 87.9% and 79.0%, respectively.

Investigations have assessed the environmental benefits of soil organic matter (SOM) storage at two long-term European experimental research sites: (i) SOM data from a soil conservation (set-aside) site in the UK and (ii) SOM data from a carbon sequestration benchmarking site in Lithuania. The first case study (Hilton, UK) illustrates the environmental benefits of changes in SOM content before and after the adoption of set-aside, a recognized soil conservation technique. Ten run-off plots (7–15° gradients) were put to ley in 1991. Run-off and erosion rates decreased to tolerable levels once ~30% vegetation cover had established and remained low (mean of 69 plot years 0.21 t ha–1 year–1, SD 0.14). Meanwhile, SOM content increased consistently and significantly on the set-aside plots (mean of 2.22% by weight in 14 years) and soil erodibility significantly decreased. Results suggest using grass-leys for set-aside is a viable soil conservation technique, which may also contribute to carbon sequestration. The second case study (Kaltinenai, Lithuania) addresses the issue of comparing international SOM databases to assist carbon modelling and carbon sequestration estimates. Five analytical approaches have been used to calculate SOM. Linear correlation and paired regression equations were used to calculate the various techniques. Correlation coefficients varied between r = 0.83–0.98 (n = 92, P<0.001). Based on the strength and significance of these relationships, it is proposed that simple linear or more complex paired regression equations can be confidently employed to recalculate SOM data between various analytical methodologies. However, it also demonstrates the potential difficulty of international carbon benchmarking, as part of the global policy to ameliorate climate change.

Soil erosion is a global environmental problem. There are many potential soil conservation measures suitable for arable soils in Lithuania. However, specific strategies are required on industrial slopes, where plant cover is often destroyed by machinery, and soil truncation may occur. Problems may arise due to exposure of deeper soils deficient in soil organic matter, which are especially vulnerable to water and wind erosion. Geotextiles are one of the methods identified suitable for soil stabilization on such engineered industrial slopes. Geotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. The application of geotextile mats, constructed from the palm leaves of Borassus aethiopum (Borassus) and Mauritia flexuosa (Buriti), has been investigated at the Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope demonstrate that cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses significantly increased (by 52–63%) under cover of Borassus mats and by 19–28% under cover of Buriti mats. The geotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 91 and 82% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 88 and 79%, respectively. This illustrates that geotextiles have a notable potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion