Interrill Erosion in Semi-arid Soils: Impacts and Vegetation as an Attenuating Factor in Erosive Processes

Abstract

Soil erosion is characterized as a serious environmental problem. Erosive processes depend on intrinsic soil characteristics, such as texture, structure, mineralogy, organic matter, as well as surface characteristics related to land use, vegetation cover, biological activity and edaphoclimatic interactions. In semi-arid regions, the problem is further aggravated by environmental conditions. Cultivation conditions in semi-arid environment are generally adversely affected conditions of fragile and poorly developed soils due to the occurrence of rainfall events, which are highly erosive. Besides precipitation, another factor of great relevance for soil erosion understanding is vegetation cover, because vegetation is an important factor in preventing soil erosion. Generally, vegetation attenuates erosion processes, mainly by reducing rainfall impact forces on soil, reducing runoff speed, increasing hydraulic roughness and water infiltration rates in soil, thus increasing its resistance to erosion.