Soil management and production of Alfisols in the semi-arid tropics. I. Modelling the effects of soil management on runoff and erosion

Abstract

Techniques to simulate effects of surface cover and tillage on runoff and erosion are described. Data for 15 soil management treatments on an Alfisol in the semi-arid tropics, India, were used to modify existing procedures of runoff prediction using USDA runoff curve numbers. A relationship between surface cover and curve number was developed to account for the effects of surface cover on runoff. Impact of shallow or deep tillage was predicted using functions that relate curve number to cumulative rainfall since tillage. The derived relationships were applied to adjust curve number due to the effects of cover and tillage on a daily basis and were incorporated into the cropping systems model called PERFECT-IND.

Results of model validation showed that PERFECT-IND explained between 71 and 91% of the variation in daily runoff volumes. The model also provided accurate predictions of average annual runoff ranging from 33 to 217 mm for the 15 soil management treatments. Runoff was reduced to a much greater extent by surface cover compared with surface roughness. Surface cover reduced runoff curve number by a maximum of 35 units. The maximum reduction in curve number due to surface roughness was 5 units for shallow tillage and 10 units for deep tillage. Erosion predictions were acceptable but the lack of erosion data for all years in the experimental data limits the confidence in model output.

Model calibration and validation have provided a set of parameters that can be coupled with historical climate records to provide a long-term perspective of the effects of soil management on runoff and erosion.