Using the equation for computing the wind erodible fraction of soils in the conditions of the Czech republic

Abstract

Abstract The erodible fraction (EF) of soil (soil aggregates and particles <0.84 mm) is one of the basic factors according to which the susceptibility of soil to wind erosion can be assessed. The standard method for determining the EF content is the use of a rotary sieve. Nevertheless, its availability is limited by its price and the fact that it is not mass-produced and is necessary to build the sieve to order. An alternative method of determining the EF content is to use an equation based on knowledge of the content of sand, silt, clay, organic carbon, and calcium carbonate. However, this equation has only been tested for US conditions. Therefore, the research focuses on the validation of the equation for the conditions of the Czech Republic, specifically in the territory of Southern Moravia. The results show that the equation validated for the USA cannot be used to determine the EF content in soils of the Czech Republic. Using the statistical program Unistat©, a new equation was proposed with correlation coefficient R = 0.8238 which means good applicability of the equation for the local soils at least in the area of Southern Moravia.