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Determination of erodibility of a subtropical clay soil: a laboratory rainfall simulator experiment
Author(s) -
ELWELL H. A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1986.tb00037.x
Subject(s) - arable land , soil water , environmental science , surface runoff , subtropics , hydrology (agriculture) , soil science , soil loss , agriculture , geotechnical engineering , ecology , geology , biology
SUMMARY Erodibility of tropical soils changes according to land use and management. It is important to monitor these changes so that farming practices can be designed to conserve the soil. On a fersiallitic clay soil in Zimbabwe, the mean weight diameter of water‐stable aggregates was highly significant in explaining variations in both soil loss and runoff. Percent water‐stable aggregates > 2 mm diameter was also significant and had the practical advantage of being easier to measure. Organic carbon in the soil largely explains the proportion of water‐stable aggregates. These indices will aid management decisions on arable and grazing lands on this soil type, within the limits of the ranges tested.