Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-08T00:01:32.205Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rainfall Erosivity and Erodibility of Inceptisols in the Southwest Colombian Andes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

M. Ruppenthal ,
D. E. Leihner ,
T. H. Hilger  and
J. A. Castillo F.
M. Ruppenthal
Affiliation:
Institut für Pflanzenproduktion in den Tropen und Subtropen, Universität Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
D. E. Leihner*
Affiliation:
Institut für Pflanzenproduktion in den Tropen und Subtropen, Universität Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
T. H. Hilger
Affiliation:
Institut für Pflanzenproduktion in den Tropen und Subtropen, Universität Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
J. A. Castillo F.
Affiliation:
Centro International de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Apartado Aereo 6713, Cali, Colombia
*
‡Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The rainfall erosivity (R) and soil erodibility (K) factors of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) were determined on two sites in the Colombian Cauca Department over a five year period when rainfall was mostly lower than average. The results showed that the high erosion potential of the soils can be attributed more to high rain erosivity than soil erodibility. The R factor explained between 59 and 81% of the variation in soil loss recorded on continuously clean-tilled fallow plots. The erodibility of Inceptisols in the study region is classified as low. Values for soil erodibility (K) ranged from 0.012 to 0.015 (measured in SI units) in the fifth year of permanent bare fallowing. K factors were higher in the rainy than in the dry season. Soils, previously under grass vegetation, were very resistant to erosion in the first two years of bare fallowing. In the third year erodibility increased sharply and continued to increase steadily until the sixth year. K factors predicted by the USLE nomograph underestimated the empirically-determined erodibility of these highly aggregated clay soils.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , January 1996 , pp. 91 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aina, P. O. (1979). Soil changes resulting from long term management practices in Western Nigeria. Soil Science Society American Journal 43:173–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CIAT (1991). Cassava Program. Annual Report December 1990, 225, 226, 232. Cali, Colombia. Centro Internacional do Agricultura Tropical. (For internal circulation and discussion only.)Google Scholar
Day, P. R. (1965). Particle fractionation and particle size analysis. In Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1, 545–567 (Ed. Black, C. A.). Madison, Wisconsin, USA: American Society of Agronomy.Google Scholar
Elwell, H. A. & Stocking, M. A. (1973). Rainfall parameters for soil loss estimation in a subtropical climate. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research 18:169–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, G. R., McCool, D. K., Renard, G. K. & Moldenhauer, W. C. (1981). Conversion of the universal soil loss equation to SI metric units. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 36:355–359.Google Scholar
Hudson, N. W. (1961). An introduction to the mechanics of soil erosion under conditions of subtropical rainfall. Rhodesian Science Assessment Proceedings and Transactions XLIX:14–25.Google Scholar
Hudson, N. W. (1971). Soil Conservation. London: Batsford.Google Scholar
IGAC (1976). Estudio General de Suelos de los Municipios Santander de Quilichao, Piendamo. Morales, Buenos Aires, Cajibio y Caldono (Departamento del Cauca). Vol XII (4). Bogotá, Colombia. Instituto Geografico Augustin Codazzi.Google Scholar
Jansson, M. B. (1982). Land Erosion by Water in Different Climates, UNGI.Rapport Nr 57. Uppsala, Sweden: University of Uppsala.Google Scholar
Kinnel, P. I. A. (1973). The problem assessing the erosive power of rainfall from meteorological observations. Soil Science Society American Proceedings 37:617–621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kowal, J. M. & Kassam, A. H. (1976). Energy load and instantaneous intensity of rainstorms at Samaru, Northern Nigeria. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 53:185–197.Google Scholar
Laws, J. O. & Parsons, D. A. (1943). The relationship of raindrop size to intensity. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 24:452–460.Google Scholar
Reining, L. (1992). Erosion in Andean Hillside Farming. Hohenheim Tropical Agricultural Series No. 1. Weikersheim, Germany. Verlag Josef Margraf.Google Scholar
Röhmkens, M. J. M. (1985). The soil erodibility factor: A perspective. In Soil Erosion and Conservation, 445–461 (Eds El-Swaify, S. A., Moldenhauer, W. C. and Lo, A.). Ankeny, Iowa, USA: Soil Conservation Society of America.Google Scholar
Röhmkens, M. J. M., Nelson, D. W. & Roth, C. B. (1975). Soil erosion on selected high clay subsoils. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 30:173–176.Google Scholar
Roose, E. J. (1980). Approach to the definition of rain erosivity and soil erodibility in West Africa. In Assessment of Erosion (Eds De Boodt, M. and Gabriels, D.). Chichester, UK. John Wiley.Google Scholar
Ruppenthal, M. 1995. Soil Conservation in Andean Cropping Systems. Hohenheim Tropical Agricultural Series No. 3. Weikersheim, Germany. Verlag Josef Margraf.Google Scholar
Salinas, J. G. & Garcia, R. (1985). Metodos Quimicos para el Analysis de Suelos Acidosy Plantas Forrajeras. Cali, Colombia. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical.Google Scholar
SAS (1988). SAS/STATTM User's Guide, Release.6.03 Edition. Cary, North. Carolina: SAS Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Stocking, M. A. & Elwell, H. A. (1973). Prediction of subtropical storm soil losses from field plot studies. Agricultural Meteorology 12:193–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tisdall, J. M. & Oades, J. M. (1982). Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. Journal of Soil Science 33:141–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
USDA (1951). Soil Survey Manual. Agricultural Handbook No. 18. Washington, DC. USA: United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Wischmeier, W. H. (1959). A rainfall erosion index for a Universal Soil Loss Equation. Soil Science Society American Proceedings 23:246–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wischmeier, W. H., Johnson, C. B. & Cross, B. V. (1971). A soil erodibility nomograph for farmland and construction sites. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 26:189–193.Google Scholar
Wischmeier, W. H. & Smith, D. D. (1978). Predicting Rainfall Erosion Losses—A Guide to Conservation Planning. Agricultural Handbook No. 537. Washington, DC. USA: United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Young, R. A. & Mutchler, C. K. (1977). Erodibility of some Minnesota soils. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 32:180–182.Google Scholar