The new volumetric approach for field measurements of rill erosion

Abstract

Erosion on the agricultural soils in the Czech Republic threats seriously their production and nonproduction functions. Erosion have devastating effect on fertile topsoil of the agricultural soils, reduces the thickness of the soil profile and nutrients and humus content, deteriorate physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. At the Brno University of Technology in Czech Republic was designed and realized equipment "the soil erosion bridge", which allows the soil surface profile measurement and quantifies the volume of erosion rills, which can occur after heavy rainfall. The main objective was to develop a method for volumetric quantification of erosion rills during heavy rainfall season. Using new equipment the soil surface profile was measured directly in the field during 4 years (2007–2010). New equipment consists of three parts. The first equipment is a square frame with an inside dimension of 4 m². The second equipment is removable profile, which serves for movement of the soil erosion bridge. The third equipment is the soil erosion bridge. The soil erosion bridge serves to volumetric quantification of rill erosion. The more effective way of data processing was developed. It was developed a software, by which it is possible the automatically transfer the rill surface profile to digital form.

In the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic was selected case study area with typical very steep sloped relief with the loess soil. The measurement was carried out on the research plots with a slope of more than 10%.  More than 1300 cross sections of the soil surface profile were measured using the new type of soil erosion bridge. From these profiles it was possible to calculate the volume of the eroded soil from the research plots. The results were always in excess of 100 t.ha^–1.rok^–1. This is a value many times higher than the tolerated limit of soil loss in Czech Republic.  Thanks to this new equipment, it is possible to quantify the soil loss from the plot threatened of water erosion. The advantage of this equipment is its using during the vegetable season when the soil surface is overgrown with vegetation and crops are higher growth.

Keywords

• Soil erosion bridge, soil loss, volumetric quantification, rill erosion, field measurement

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