Effect of Slope Gradient and Soil Physical Properties on Soil Loss in Furrows of Rainfed Farms

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of slope gradient and soil physical properties (grain size distribution, bulk density, aggregate stability and permeability) on water erosion in the furrows of rainfed farms under fallow conditions. The furrows with 6 m length were installed in five rainfed farms with 6.1, 10.6, 14.8, 20.7 and 27.1% slope steepness at three replications. Results indicated that rill erosion were significantly varied among the five farms. There was no significant correlation between rill erosion and slope gradient, while it was significantly affected by some soil properties consisted of sand (P<0.05), clay (P<0.05) and aggregate stability (P<0.05). These results revealed that in coarse textured farms with different slope gradient, soil loss through furrows isn’t significantly related to slope gradient, but it is significantly affected by soil physical properties.