This work presents a review of published studies about the use of
vegetative residue mulching to reduce soil and water losses in different
environments. The complexity of the processes involved and the variability
of the conditions under which studies were performed led us to
separate the data according to measurement method, and consequently,
to separate the spatial scale of analysis. We believe that our work
confirmed the effectiveness ofmulchingwith vegetative residues for reducing
soil andwater losses in different environments across theworld,
and we helped to fill the knowledge gap in this important topic. There
are still some open questions about the most appropriate types of
mulches aswell as the application rate and cover that require further research.
The economic feasibility of mulching application is another fundamental
aspect that should be addressed in future research articles.
Science must be of assistance to both farmers and land managers by
providing them with evidence-based means for implementing more
sustainable soil management practices.