Establishment of criteria for classification and mapping of soil erosion at farm scale level: a case study of Sokoine University of Agriculture farm, Morogoro, Tanzania
| dc.contributor.author | Kapele, William | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-03-12T11:56:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-03-12T11:56:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2000 | |
| dc.description | Dissertation | |
| dc.description.abstract | The depth of the topsoil and estimated soil loss were used to assess the extent of past erosion and susceptibility to soil erosion of the Typic Rhodustalf and Typic Ustorthent, in the central part of the Sokoine University of Agriculture farm. The topsoil depth ranges: <15cm, 16 - 20cm and >20cm were used to categorise soils as highly eroded, moderately eroded and least eroded. Parameters of the Universal Soil Loss Equation: rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, crop cover and management, and topographic factors were used to assess the susceptibility of soils studied to erosion. The following soil erosion susceptibility ranges: < 4Mg/ha/year, 4 - 8Mg/ha/year and >8Mg/ha/year were studied and used to represent highly eroded, moderately eroded and least eroded soils. For both criteria, areas with similar erosion classes were delineated, and both soil erosion susceptibility and soil erosion severity maps were drawn at scale 1: 5 000. The impact of soil erosion on maize yield was assessed using the two criteria. Generally there was a decline in maize yield as a result of increase in erosion. For the same erosion category, the Typic Rhodustalf had a higher yield than the Typic Ustorthent. The impact of estimated soil erosion susceptibility on maize yield was more consistent than that of topsoil depth. There existed a high correlation between estimated soil erosion susceptibility and maize grain yield (r2 = 0.60) and biomass (r2 = 0.49). In case of the topsoil depth criterion, the relationship was lower with r2 = 0.20 for grain yield and r2 = 0.26 for There existed a high correlation between estimated soil erosion susceptibility and maize grain yield (r2 = 0.60) and biomass (r2 = 0.49). In case of the topsoil depth criterion, the relationship was lower with r2 = 0.20 for grain yield and r2 = 0.26 for biomass. However, in the Typic Rhodustalf the correlation was high, grain yield (r2 = 0.70) and biomass (r2 = 0.46), while in the Typic Ustorthent the relationship was extremely low; grain yield (r2 = 0.09) and biomass (r2 = 0.24). Soil erosion susceptibility was therefore found to be a better criterion for assessing soil erosion than topsoil depth. However, multiple regression analysis of maize yield and other soil parameters produced high correlation, implying that the use of the topsoil depth can be improved by including some other soil parameters like bulk density and organic carbon for estimating the extent of past erosion. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | SACCR/GTZ | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/20.500.14820/7402 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Sokoine University of Agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Establishment classification mapping soil | |
| dc.subject | Soil erosion | |
| dc.subject | Sokoine University of Agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Morogoro | |
| dc.subject | Tanzania | |
| dc.title | Establishment of criteria for classification and mapping of soil erosion at farm scale level: a case study of Sokoine University of Agriculture farm, Morogoro, Tanzania | |
| dc.type | Thesis |