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SOIL LOSS, INFILTRATION AND RUNNOF RATES IN SOIL UNDER DESERTIFICATION IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMI-ARID REGION: INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION COVER AND RAINFALL INTENSITY
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  • Edivan Rodrigues de Souza,
  • Cintia Maria Teixeira Lins,
  • Thaís Emanuelle Monteiro dos Santos Souza,
  • Martha Katharinne Silva Souza Paulino,
  • Danilo Rodrigues Monteiro,
  • Valdomiro Souza Júnior,
  • Pablo Rugero Magalhães Dourado,
  • Francisco Ernesto de Andrade Rego Junior,
  • Yuri Jacques Agra da Silva,
  • Bruce Schaffer
Edivan Rodrigues de Souza
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Cintia Maria Teixeira Lins
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Thaís Emanuelle Monteiro dos Santos Souza
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
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Martha Katharinne Silva Souza Paulino
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Danilo Rodrigues Monteiro
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Valdomiro Souza Júnior
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Pablo Rugero Magalhães Dourado
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Francisco Ernesto de Andrade Rego Junior
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
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Yuri Jacques Agra da Silva
Universidade Federal do Piaui Centro de Tecnologia
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Bruce Schaffer
University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center
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Abstract

Desertification is a problem in regions with arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid climates and is characterized by the degradation of natural resources. The influence of vegetation cover and rainfall intensity on the dynamics of water infiltration, surface runoff and soil loss was measured in situ in a Desertification Zone in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Twenty-four plots were evaluated in two areas, each with the same type of soil that is predominant in the region: 1) Luvisol with dense vegetation cover (LD) and 2) Luvisol with sparse vegetation cover (LS). Rainfall of 60 and 100 mm h -1 was simulated with a rainfall simulator. Soil hydraulic conductivity, soil water retention curves and soil carbon and nitrogen stocks were also determined. Water infiltration was greater in the LD (53 mm h -1) compared to the LS (15 mm h -1), while the runoff rates were 27 mm h -1 for the LD and 61 mm h -1 for the LS. Rainfall intensity significantly influenced when runoff started and the runoff rate, accelerating soil loss. Vegetation cover significantly influenced the total soil carbon and nitrogen stocks, as well as the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil. This is the first study in the semi-arid desertification region of Brazil that used simulated rainfall to assess the effects rain intensity on soil properties. The results of this study can be used as a reference for calibrating erosion models in areas undergoing a desertification process