Characteristics of Soil Erodibility in the Yinna Mountainous Area, Eastern Guangdong Province, China

Abstract

Soil erodibility research is of theoretical and practical significance to the prediction and prevention of regional soil erosion. At present, the study on soil erodibility in the lateritic red soil area of eastern Guangdong province is relatively lacking. Taking the forest land soil of the Yinna mountainous area as the research object, the physical and chemical properties (organic matter mass fraction, texture, moisture, bulk density, pH, aggregate content) of soil samples at different altitudes were measured with field survey sampling and indoor analysis. Soil erodibility K values were simulated with different models (the EPIC model, the Torri model, and the Shirazi model) and the regional applicability of the K simulation models was discussed. The influence of soil properties on soil erodibility was analyzed. The results showed that: (1) K values in the Yinna mountainous area are between 0.0250 and 0.0331 t·hm2·h/MJ·mm·hm2, and the K value in the subsoil layer (20–40 cm) is higher than that of the topsoil layer (0–20 cm). These values decreased significantly with the increase of altitude. The soil in the study area belongs to low–medium to medium erodible soil types. (2) The three models have certain applicability in the Yinna mountainous area, but the simulation results still lack validation. (3) Soil particle size composition is the most important factor affecting the K value in the study area. As far as the topsoil is concerned, K values increase with the increase of clay and silt content and decrease with the increase of sand content and aggregate stability. Soil erodibility has no significant correlation with pH and bulk density and has no clear relationship with the content of soil organic carbon and soil moisture. The research results can provide basic data for regional soil and water conservation and the construction of K value databases of different soil types in China.