Apart from the soil tillage system, the soil surface conditions that govern the rainwater erosion process change during growth of the corn crop. At the same time, the physical conditions of the soil surface that govern soil losses are different from those that govern water losses by erosion. The hypothesis of this study is that these changes occurring during the growth of the corn crop reduce soil losses but do not reduce water losses by erosion. Based on that, this […]

Soil and water loss data from rainfall erosion studies are fundamental for the planning of soil conservation. Despite the implantation of no-tillage systems, introduced in the 1970s, conservation practices, e.g., contour cropping and terracing, are still required for an effective control of rainfall erosion, especially in areas with high rainfall amounts. Another alternative for erosion control is the planting of cover crops for soil protection. The objective of this study was to quantify water and soil losses by rainfall erosion […]

The crop type and seed row direction in relation to the land slope can modify the total amount and size of runoff-transported sediment. They may alter the relation between organic carbon levels in the sediments and the eroded soil. The current study aimed to quantify the sediment size and proportion transported at constant runoff rate and the organic carbon level in the sediments and the eroded soil, under oat and vetch sown in two row directions. Four simulated rainfalls were […]

Soil structure plays a prominent role in plant growth and erosion control, and consequently in food production and soil and water conservation. This research was developed with the objective of implementing and accompanying the restoration process of the structure of a degraded soil, by planting crop sequences under no-tillage (autumn-winter and spring-summer, grass and legume, in single and intercropped systems), and later verifying the relations with water and soil losses caused by rainfall erosion, under distinct surface physical conditions (untilled […]

Considering that Brazil and many other countries with tropical ecosystems need to enhance methods of embankment cover, it is necessary to study the enhancement of available erosion control means. The study objective was to evaluate the efficiency of three commercial erosion mats: MacMat®, Fibrax® and Tela Biotêxtil® in rainfall surface erosion protection. The experiment was carried out between December 2003 and March 2004 on an embankment of a road section in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Surface runoff from the […]

Increasing underground plant biomass and soil aggregate stability by application of adequate management practices enhances the quality in terms of water infiltration and erosion resistance. Based on this premise, an erosion study using simulated rainfall was carried out in the field, at an experimental station of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – EEA/UFRGS), in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, in the summer of 2003/2004, in a 7.5 year soil management experiment. The purpose […]

Tillage changes the physical conditions of the soil surface and subsurface and, consequently, influences values of the parameters related to water erosion. This study aimed to determine, from June 2005 to March 2006, the effect of a chiseling operation and of the rainfall erosivity on some parameters related to the soil water erosion in a Nitosol under the following soil management systems: (a) conventional tillage without soil cultivation (BSE), (b) conventional tillage (CTE), (c) no-tillage in never-tilled soil and with […]

Among conservation tillage methods, no-till has shown to be the most effective in reducing soil losses caused by rainfall erosion, but with considerable data variation regarding water loss. Considering these aspects, this study was carried out with the objective of evaluating soil and water losses, the chemical demand of oxygen (CDO), electrical conductivity, and the pH of surface runoff, associated with interrill erosion under simulated rainfall. The field study was conducted in October 2003 in Marechal Cândido Rondon county, western […]

The term soil erodibility (factor K in the Universal Soil Loss Equation – USLE) expresses the natural susceptibility of a soil to water erosion. The K factor stands for the soil loss rate per unit of rainfall erosivity (factor R in the USLE). Knowledge on the K factor, as well as about the other factors of the USLE, is important to establish soil conservation strategies since they permit the estimation of soil loss rates by water erosion under specific climate, […]

Although being temporary, the presence of tillage-induced surface roughness in the soil is an important requirement in conservation tillage systems. The reason is that surface roughness increases both surface retention and surface infiltration of water in the soil, reduces runoff velocity and volume, and traps eroded sediments, thus reducing water erosion damages. With this in mind, this study was developed with the objective of evaluating modifications in soil surface roughness by tillage and rainfall actions related to water erosion, in […]