Furrow Erosion and Water and Soil Management

Kemper, W.D. and Trout, T.J. and Brown, M.J. and Rosenau, R.C. (1985) Furrow Erosion and Water and Soil Management. Transaction of the ASAE. 28(5):1564-1572.

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Abstract

EFFECTS of basic water and soil interactions on
erosion are reported. The effects of flow rate and
slope on perimeter shear stress are outlined for channels
in which the ratio of breadth and depth of the flow cross
section stay reasonably constant. Effects of the resulting
shear stress on erosion are discussed in terms of
coefficients for the equations developed and several data
sets. For furrows with a relatively constant breadth to
depth ratio, erosion appears to be related to the shear
stress by an exponent which varies between two and four
depending on the range of cohesive forces holding the
soil particles to underlying soil. The data sets studied
indicate continuous exponential relationships rather
than a "critical shear stress" below which there is no
erosion.

Following disruption of Portneuf silt loam by tillage or
compaction, cohesion increases with time. Maximum
rate of cohesion increase occurs when the soils are moist,
but have sufficient tension in the water to draw the
particles firmly together. Rapid wetting of dry soils
disrupts a majority of the bonds between particles,
allowing aggregate disintegration which reduces
infiltration rates and substantially increases erosion.
Considering erosion as an independent factor, not
affected by sediment load and carrying capacity, allowed
development of equations which appear to describe the
whole erosion-deposition process.

These findings indicate several management options
which can decrease furrow erosion.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0560
Subjects:	Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion Soil > Erosion Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:52
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2017 21:10
Item ID:	443
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/443