Field Investigating the Role of Slope Ongradient on Interrill Erosion in Some Soil Textures of a Semi-Arid Region of Zanjan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

10.30466/asr.2025.54206.1778

Abstract

Interrill erosion is the most common form of soil erosion in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was conducted to investigate the role of soil texture and slope gradient on interrill erosion in the semi-arid region of Zanjan. A total of 32 field experiments were done on four hillslopes with four soil textures (sandy loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam and clay loam) and slope grdadients (5, 10, 15 and 20%) under simulated rainfall with an intensity of 40 mm/h with two replications. Runoff and soil loss samles were taken at 5 min intervals from the beginning of runoff, and temporal variation of interrill erosion was determined. The results showed that the highest runoff was in clay loam (8.04 mm) and the lowest value was in silt loam (4.23 mm). As the slope increased from 5% to 20% in sandy loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam and clay loam textures, the intensity of interrill erosion  increased by 5.6, 2.6, 1.8 and 2.26 times, respectively. The beginning Interrill erosion occurred 66, 25, 64, and 46% earlier in 20% slope compared to 5% slope for sandy loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam and clay loam textures respectively. In general, the results showed that the slopes of 15 and 20% are the most sensitive slopes and the texture of silt loam and clay loam are the most sensitive textures to interrill erosion. Considering the response of interrill erosion to slope steepness and soil characteristics, it is important to maintain vegetation to inhibit interrill erosion on high slopes. Strengthening soil properties, particlarly organic matter content and aggregate stability, is necessary to reduce soil surface destruction downstream.

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