TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reducing the Average P Factor Value in Sloping Land Through Scenarios that Incorporate Terracing and Contour Farming Practices
AU  - Aytop, Halil
PY  - 2025
DA  - July
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.21657/soilst.1724341
JF  - Soil Studies
JO  - SoilSt
PB  - Toprak Gübre ve Su Kaynakları Merkez Araştırma Enstitüsü
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2791-9234
SP  - 34
EP  - 38
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
LA  - en
AB  - The soil protection (P) factor, one of the components of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) Model, is critical in influencing erosion. It significantly reduces soil erosion by minimizing surface runoff on sloping terrains. The P factor is unitless. In this article, 4 scenarios involving soil conservation practices tailored to the slope percentages of the study area, which features a sloping landscape, were developed. Terracing and contour farming were proposed as soil conservation strategies. Areas with slopes ranging from 6% to 12% were regarded as suitable for contour farming, while those with slopes between 12% and 30% were considered ideal for terracing practices.  The study revealed that scenario 4 lowered the average P factor value of the study area from 1 to 0.58. This outcome indicated that the scenarios devised could decrease the average P factor value in the study area by 42%. It is believed that the approach employed in this study can effectively reduce the average P factor value in sloping regions facing erosion issues.
KW  - Land use
KW  - Mapping
KW  - RUSLE
KW  - Soil conservation practices
KW  - Soil erosion
CR  - Adhikari, B., & Nadella, K. (2011). Ecological economics of soil erosion: a review of the current state of knowledge. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1219(1), 134-152. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05910.x
CR  - Anonymous. (2025). Seasonal normals for the provinces. Retrieved April 17, 2025, from https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=K.MARAS
CR  - Arnáez, J., Lana-Renault, N., Lasanta, T., Ruiz-Flaño, P., & Castroviejo, J. (2015). Effects of farming terraces on hydrological and geomorphological processes. A review. Catena, 128, 122-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.01.02
CR  - Artun, O., & Koca, Y. K. (2018). Determination of Soil Losses Using RUSLE Model and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in a Selected Area in Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 27(5), 3359-3366.
CR  - Aytop, H., & Pınar, M. Ö. (2024). Evaluation of agricultural productivity loss of vineyards through water erosion in Türkiye. Applied Fruit Science, 66(2), 667-676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-024-01035-6
CR  - Aytop, H., & Şenol, S. (2022). The effect of different land use planning scenarios on the amount of total soil losses in the Mikail Stream Micro-Basin. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(5), 321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-09937-2
CR  - Didoné, E. J., Minella, J. P. G., & Piccilli, D. G. A. (2021). How to model the effect of mechanical erosion control practices at a catchment scale? International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 9(3), 370-380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.01.007
CR  - Ebabu, K., Tsunekawa, A., Haregeweyn, N., Tsubo, M., Adgo, E., Fenta, A. A., ... & Poesen, J. (2022). Global analysis of cover management and support practice factors that control soil erosion and conservation. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 10(2), 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.12.002
CR  - FAO. (2016). Global soil partnership endorses guidelines on sustainable soil management. Retrieved April 05, 2025, from http://fao.org/global-soilpartnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/416516/
CR  - FAO. (2000). Manual on Integrated Soil Management and Conservation Practices. Rome, Italy: FAO.
CR  - FAO. (2003). Soil and Water Conservation with a Focus on Water Harvesting and Soil Moisture Retention. Nairobi, Kenya: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
CR  - García-Ruiz, J. M., Beguería, S., Nadal-Romero, E., González-Hidalgo, J. C., Lana-Renault, N., & Sanjuán, Y. (2015). A meta-analysis of soil erosion rates across the world. Geomorphology, 239, 160-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.03.008
CR  - Kebede, B., Tsunekawa, A., Haregeweyn, N., Adgo, E., Ebabu, K., Meshesha, D. T., ... & Fenta, A. A. (2021). Determining C-and P-factors of RUSLE for different land uses and management practices across agro-ecologies: case studies from the Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. Physical Geography, 42(2), 160-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723646.2020.1762831
CR  - La, N., Bergkvist, G., Dahlin, A. S., Mulia, R., Nguyen, V. T., & Öborn, I. (2023). Agroforestry with contour planting of grass contributes to terrace formation and conservation of soil and nutrients on sloping land. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 345, 108323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108323
CR  - Liu, X., Xin, L., & Lu, Y. (2021). National scale assessment of the soil erosion and conservation function of terraces in China. Ecological Indicators, 129, 107940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107940
CR  - Madenoğlu, S., Pınar, M. Ö., Şahin, S., & Erpul, G. (2024). Sustainable land management for mitigating soil erosion at the catchment scale. Turkish Journal of Agricultural Research, 11(2), 176-190. https://doi.org/10.19159/tutad.1434369
CR  - Panagos, P., Borrelli, P., Meusburger, K., Van Der Zanden, E. H., Poesen, J., & Alewell, C. (2015). Modelling the effect of support practices (P-factor) on the reduction of soil erosion by water at European scale. Environmental science & policy, 51, 23-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.03.012
CR  - Pınar, M. Ö., & Erpul, G. (2023). Upscaling plot-based measurements of RUSLE C-factor of different leaf-angled crops in semi-arid agroecosystems. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 195(11), 1341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11970-8
CR  - Renard, K. G., Foster, G.A., Weesies, D.A., McCool, D.K., Yoder, D.C., (1997) Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to conservation planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Agriculture handbook no. 703. USDA, Washington
CR  - Saygın, F., Aytop, H., & Dengiz, O. (2025). Developing land-use planning scenarios in Türkiye to reduce water-induced soil erosion. Environmental Conservation, 52(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892924000298
CR  - Sud, A., Sajan, B., Kanga, S., Singh, S. K., Singh, S., Durin, B., ... & Chand, K. (2024). Integrating RUSLE model with cloud-based geospatial analysis: a google earth engine approach for soil erosion assessment in the Satluj watershed. Water, 16(8), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081073
CR  - Tian, P., Zhu, Z., Yue, Q., He, Y., Zhang, Z., Hao, F., ... & Liu, M. (2021). Soil erosion assessment by RUSLE with improved P factor and its validation: Case study on mountainous and hilly areas of Hubei Province, China. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 9(3), 433-444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.04.007
CR  - Wischmeier, W. H., & Smith, D. D. (1978). Predicting rainfall erosion losses. USDA Agricultural Handbook, No: 537, USA.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21657/soilst.1724341
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4978989
ER  -