The relationships between soil erodibility factor (K) and soil saturated permeability (Kfs) for cultivated Acrisols derived from Quaternary red clay and Cambisols derived from red sandstone were studied and quantified using a rainfall simulator and Guelph permeameter in a hilly area of subtropical China. A negative correlation existed between Kfs of the topsoil (0-5 cm) and K. The empirical expression K≈a×Kfs-b + c, where a, b and c are the structural coefficients related to soil properties, such as soil type, soil parent material, organic matter, pH and mechanical composition, best described the relationship between soil saturated permeability and soil erodibility.
One of the most important functions of soils is to regulate rainwater and mitigate flooding and associated damages; this function can be estimated by the rainwater regulation ratio (η), i.e., percent of regulated rainwater. Fifteen experimental plots were set up on the hills in Yingtan of Jiangxi Province, southern China. These plots were under three land use patterns, cultivated cropland, noncultivated land, and orchard interplanted with cash crops. With aid of an artificial rainfall simulator and Guelph method, rainfall, runoff, soil infiltration, and so on were measured in situ. Results showed that the orchard interplanted with cash crops was more effective in regulating rainwater than the other two land use patterns. When the maximum infiltration intensity was three times higher than the observed mean, η was higher than 70% for all plots. η was related to land use, slope gradient, and soil properties such as soil infiltration, organic carbon, bulk density, and texture. There is still more room to improve capacity of rainwater drainage (underground percolation) than that of rainwater storage in soils. Therefore, enhancing soil permeability is vital to improve the rainwater regulation effciency in soils.
YU Dong-ShengSHI Xue-ZhengWANG Hong-JieZHANG Xiang-YanD. C. WEINDORF
