Universal Soil Loss Equation:

(Wischmeier and Smith)

A = RKLSCP
A R = = Computed soil loss per unit area (tons per acre) Rainfall factor
# of erosion index units in a normal year's rain. Erosion index is a measure of the erosive force of a specific rainfall

Soil erodability factor

erosion rate/unit of erosion index for a specific soil in cultivated continuous fallow on a 9% slope 72.6 feet long

Slope length factor

ratio of soil loss from the filed slope length to that from a 72.6foot length on the same soil type and gradient

S C

= =

Slope gradient factor

ratio of soil loss from the field gradient to that from a 9% slope

Cropping management factor

ratio of soil loss from a field with specified cropping and management to that from the fallow condition on which the factor K is evaluated

Erosion control management factor

ratio of soil loss with contouring, strip cropping or terracing to that with straight-row farming, up and down slope

Computed K Values for Soils on Erosion-Research Stations

Soil Dunkirk silt loam Keene silt loam Shelby loam Lodi loam Fayette silt loam Cecil sandy clay loam Marshall silt loam Ida silt loam Mansic clay loam Hagerstown silty clay loam Austin clay Mexico silt loam Honeoye silt loam Cecil sandy loam Ontario loam Cecil clay loam Boswell fine sandy loam Cecil sandy loam Zaneis fine sandy loam Tifton loamy sand Bath flaggy silt loam with surface stones 2 inches removed Albia gravelly loam Arnot, N.Y. Beemerville, N.J. 0.08, 0.03 Source of Data Geneva, N.Y. Zanesville, Ohio Bethany, Mo. Blacksburg, Va. LaCrosse, Wis. Watkinsville, Ga. Clarinda, Iowa Castana, Iowa Hays,Kans. State College, Pa. Temple, Tex. McCredie, Mo. Marcellus, N.Y. Clemson, S.C. Geneva, N.Y. Watkinsville, Ga. Tyler, Tex. Watkinsville, Ga. Guthrie, Okla. Tifton, Ga. Computed K 0.69a 0.48 0.41 0.39 0.38a 0.36 0.33 0.33 0.32 0.31a 0.29 0.28 0.28a 0.28a 0.27a 0.26 0.25 0.23 0.22 0.10

From Wischmeier and Smith, 1965. a Evaluated from continuous fallow. All others were computed from row crop data.

RELATIVE PROTECTION OF GROUND COVER AGAINST EROSION (in order of increasing C factor) Land-use groups Permanent vegetation Examples Protected woodland Prairie Permanent pasture Sodded orchard Permanent meadow Alfalfa Clover Fescue Rye Wheat Barley Oats Soybeans Cowpeas Peanuts Field peas Cotton Potatoes Tobacco Vegetables Corn Sorghum Summer fallow Period between plowing and growth of crop Range of "C" values 0.0001 -- 0.45

Established meadows Small grains

0.004 -- 0.3 0.07 -- 0.5

Large-seeded legumes

0.1 -- 0.65

Row crops

0.1 -- 0.7

Fallow

1.0

Practice factor values for contouring Land slope, % P value 1.1 to 2 0.60 2.1 to7 0.50 7.1 to 12 0.60 12.1 to 18 0.80 18.1 to 24 0.90