The objective of this work was to evaluate the seasonal variation of soil cover and rainfall erosivity, and their influences on the revised universal soil loss equation (Rusle), in order to estimate watershed soil losses in a temporal scale. Twenty-two TM Landsat 5 images from 1986 to 2009 were used to estimate soil use and management factor (C factor). A corresponding rainfall erosivity factor (R factor) was considered for each image, and the other factors were obtained using the standard Rusle method. Estimated soil losses were grouped into classes and ranged from 0.13 Mg ha^-1 on May 24, 2009 (dry season) to 62.0 Mg ha^-1 on March 11, 2007 (rainy season). In these dates, maximum losses in the watershed were 2.2 and 781.5 Mg ha^-1 , respectively. Mean annual soil loss in the watershed was 109.5 Mg ha^-1 , but the central area, with a loss of nearly 300.0 Mg ha^-1 , was characterized as a site of high water-erosion risk. The use of C factor obtained from remote sensing data, associated to corresponding R factor, was fundamental to evaluate the soil erosion estimated by the Rusle in different seasons, unlike of other studies which keep these factors constant throughout time.

This study evaluated soil and water losses, soil water infiltration and infiltration rate models in soil tillage systems and corn (Zea mays, L.) development stages under simulated rainfall. The treatments were: cultivation along contour lines, cultivation down the slope and exposed soil. Soil losses and infiltration in each treatment were quantified for rains applied using a portable simulator, at 0, 30, 60 and 75 days after planting. Infiltration rates were estimated using the models of Kostiakov-Lewis, Horton and Philip. Based on the obtained results, the combination of effects between soil tillage system and corn development stages reduces soil and water losses. The contour tillage system promoted improvements in soil physical properties, favoring the reduction of erosion in 59.7% (water loss) and 86.6% (soil loss) at 75 days after planting, and the increase in the stable infiltration rate in 223.3%, compared with the exposed soil. Associated to soil cover, contour cultivation reduces soil and water losses, and the former is more influenced by management. Horton model is the most adequate to represent soil water infiltration rate under the evaluated conditions.

The cultivation of sugarcane uses different cropping systems that result in varying quantities of crop waste, this may influence soil erosion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the loss of soil and water, the infiltration rate, and soil surface roughness in an area cultivated with sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Six treatments with different levels of plant waste were evaluated: sugarcane without plant waste; sugarcane with 4.0 Mg ha-1 of waste; sugarcane with 8.0 Mg ha-1 of waste; sugarcane with 12.0 Mg ha-1 of waste; sugarcane with 16.0 Mg ha-1 of waste; and burned sugarcane. The treatments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replications, totalling 24 experimental plots. As soil depth increased, there is reduction in macroporosity, total soil porosity, organic carbon content, mean geometric diameter and weighted mean diameter of the soil aggregates, whereas the bulk density of the soil displays the opposite trend. The presence of sugarcane waste on the soil surface increases the time required for the initiation of surface runoff. Sugarcane waste does not alter soil surface roughness, and at the minimum amount of waste administered (4 Mg ha-1) reduces losses of soil and water and increases the infiltration rate. The lack of soil surface coverage after harvesting the sugarcane contributes to soil and water loss, and reduces the rate of stable infiltration of water into the soil.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, sob chuva simulada, o efeito da cobertura vegetal sobre a erosão de um Argissolo Vermelho, no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, nos seguintes sistemas de cultivo: soja, com preparo convencional; soja, em plantio direto; pastagem estabelecida, sem pisoteio animal; e condição de solo exposto, como padrão de comparação. A cada 20 dias, foram tiradas fotografias digitais para a estimativa da cobertura do solo, e chuvas simuladas de 60 mm h^-1 foram aplicadas às parcelas experimentais, com uso do simulador portátil de chuvas. As perdas de solo, quantificadas a cada 2 min, variaram de 3,10 a 11,40 Mg ha^-1, no solo exposto, e de 0,03 a 0,19 Mg ha^-1 na pastagem; as perdas de água variaram de 300 a 555 m³ ha^-1, no solo exposto, e de 63 a 229 m³ ha^-1, no cultivo de soja sob plantio direto. As perdas de solo diminuíram com o aumento da cobertura vegetal. Na pastagem, a máxima cobertura foi de 98,10%. Os efeitos benéficos do preparo convencional são temporários, o que torna o solo mais suscetível à erosão do que os sistemas conservacionistas.