Interrill erosion from disturbed and undisturbed samples in relation to topsoil aggregate stability in red soils from subtropical China

The assessment of soil erodibility to water erosion in the field is often expensive and time-consuming. This study was designed to reveal the effects of aggregate breakdown mechanisms on interrill erosion dynamics and develop an improved model for assessing interrill soil loss, which incorporated the soil aggregate stability tests as a substitute for the interrill erodibility parameter, from both disturbed and undisturbed samples for red soils in subtropical China. Six cultivated areas of sloping land with red soils were selected, and topsoil aggregate stability was analyzed using the Le Bissonnais method to determine the different disaggregation forces. Laboratory rainfall simulations were designed to distinguish the effects of slaking (at different wetting rates) and mechanical breakdown (with and without screening) on soil erosion characteristics. Field rainstorm simulations with medium and high rainfall intensities were conducted on runoff plots (2 m 1 m) with slope gradients varying from 10% to 20% for each soil type. A new instability index, Ka, which considers aggregate breakdown mechanisms in interrill erosion processes, was proposed based on the disturbed sample results. Ka showed a close relationship with erosion rates in both disturbed and undisturbed samples. Following from the results of undisturbed sample experiments, Ka was used as a substitute for the erodibility factor, and introduced into the WEPP model, establishing a new erosion predication formula for red soils which had a good correlation coefficient (R² = 0.89**). This research made a good attempt at estimating the interrill erosion rate on the basis of aggregate stability from simple laboratory determinations. These results extend the validity of soil aggregation characterization as an appropriate indicator of soil susceptibility to interrill erosion in red soils from subtropical China. The formula based on the instability index, Ka, has the potential to improve the methodology used for assessing interrill erosion rates.