Soil & Water Res., 2023, 18(3):181-191 | DOI: 10.17221/42/2023-SWR

Temporal variation in soil rill erodibility and critical shear stress during concentrated flow for three different cropsOriginal Paper

Ke-lin Chen1, Yun-fei Yan1, Yi-heng Li1, Heng Zhang1, Ke-ming Tang1,2*, Huai-yu Wu2, Yi-yang Kang2
1 College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Sichuan Agricultural University, Agricultural Water-Soil Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an city, China
2 College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Sichuan Agricultural University, Hydraulic and Hydro-Power Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an city, China

Soil rill erodibility (Kr) and critical shear stress (τc) are important parameters in some physical soil erosion models. In the present study, the temporal variations in Kr and τc by overland flow were investigated using undisturbed topsoil samples collected from three cropped plots (ryegrass, lucerne, and corn) and a fallow plot. In this study, the potential factors leading to these changes were examined from March to September 2022 in western Sichuan Province, China. The results revealed significant seasonal variations in Kr, τc, soil bulk density (SD), soil cohesion (SC), and soil water-stable aggregate (WSA). The Kr values were significantly lower, whereas τc values were slightly higher for cropped plots when compared to that for the fallow plot. The mean Kr values for cropped plots were 4.51~17.26 times lower than that for the fallow plot. In contrast, the mean τc values for the cropped plots were 1.03~1.08 times higher than that for the fallow plots. The results also indicated a negative correlation of Kr with SD, SC, WSA, soil organic matter content (SOC), and root weight density (RWD), while a positive correlation of τc with SD, SC, WSA, and RWD. Furthermore, an exponential decrease in Kr was observed with an increase in SD, SC, WSA, SOC, and RWD. An increase in SD, SC, WSA, and RWD of the experimental plots led to a further increase in τc.

Keywords: root weight density; soil bulk density; soil cohesion;  soil organic matter content; soil water-stable aggregate

Received: May 6, 2023; Revised: June 19, 2023; Accepted: July 21, 2023; Prepublished online: July 31, 2023; Published: August 31, 2023  Show citation

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Chen K, Yun-Fei Y, Li Y, Zhang H, Tang K, Wu H, Kang Y. Temporal variation in soil rill erodibility and critical shear stress during concentrated flow for three different crops. Soil & Water Res. 2023;18(3):181-191. doi: 10.17221/42/2023-SWR.
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