Papers

Multivariance analysis on erosion risk determination in soil under irrigation.

Author: Celia Regina Paes Bueno, Christiano Luna Arraes, Gener Tadeu Pereira, Jose Eduardo Cora, Sergio Campos

Keywords: Cluster analysis, principal components analysis, soils, Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE).

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Summary

The objective of this work was to verify the application of cluster analysis to evaluate soil erosion risk for different soil classes, soil slopes and soil managements. The study was conducted in a 33 ha section of a large field located in Carmo do Rio Claro County, MG, Brazil. The field had been managed in a corn/bean rotation under conventional tillage and under coffee plantation for seven years, both under sprinkle irrigation. Soil samples were obtained at every 10 m at 0.20 m depth along a transect of 1050 m. Soil erosion risk (A), natural potential erosion (PN), and erosion expectation (EE) were determined and submitted to a cluster and principal component analysis. The application of clustering analysis showed high correlation between the clusters and soil types. With clustering analysis plus principal components analysis, it was possible to identify groups of high and low soil erosion expectation, showing that the areas with higher soil erosion expectation are correlated to the soil class, soil slope and soil management. Among the studied variables, the natural potential erosion (PN) showed to be the most important factor to identify different soil erosion groups. The cluster analysis showed that 98 % of the variables were classified within each group, and that they should be managed differently due to the soil erosive potential of each group.