aims to identify those areas of land where the maximum sustained productivity From a given land use

is defined as the lowering of the soil's capacity to support human life.It is also described as the destruction and deterioration of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil

is a worldwide phenomenon leading to loss of nutrient rich surface soil, increased runoff from more impermeable subsoil and decreased water availability to plants

is the portion of rainfall that makes its way toward stream channels, lakes, or oceans as surface or subsurface Flow. However, runoff usually refers to overland or surface Flow

FACTORS AFFECTING RUN-OFF

was developed by the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service as a method of assessing the extent to which limitations such as erosion, soil depth, wetness and climate hinder the agricultural use that can be made of the land.

soils have few limitation restricting their use.

have some limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require moderate conservation practices

have severe limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require special conservation practices

have very severe limitations that restrict the choice of plants and or require very careful management

have few or no erosion hazards but have other limitations impracticable to remove, that restrict their use to pasture or range, woodland, or wildlife Food cover

have severe limitations that make them generally unsuited to cultivation and limit their use largerly to pasture or range woodland, or wildlife food cover.

have very severe limitations that make them unsuited to cultivation and also, restrict their use largely to grazing, woodland or wildlife

soils and land Forms have limitations that preclude their use for commercial plant production.

SUB-CLASSES

E stands for

W stands for

S stands for

C stands for

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

IS EXPRESSED AS A QUANTITY PER UNIT AREA AND TIME AND OFTEN APPLIES TO SMALL PLOTS

REFERS TO THE AMOUNT OF ERODED MATERIAL THAT PASSES A DESIGNATED POINT AT THE OUTFLOW END OF A PLOT, FIELD. CHANNEL, OR WATERSHED

This method of estimating soil loss was developed from 1945 to 1965 based on statistical analyses of field plot data from small plots in many states in the U.S.

is useful for determining conservation measures' adequacy in farm planning and predicting non-point sediment losses.

USLE FACTORS

REPRESENTS THE EROSION POTENTIAL, BASED ON THE RAINFALL AND RUNOFF BY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.

IS THE FLOW OF WATER ON THE GROUND WHEN IT CANNOT RAPIDLY INFILTRATE THE SOIL

IS THE SOIL ERODIBILITY FACTOR.

IS PRIMARILY INFLUENCED BY SOIL TEXTURE, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE IMPACTED BY STRUCTURE, ORGANIC MATTER, AND PERMEABILITY.

REPRESENTS SOIL LOSS DEPENDENT ON SLOPE STEEPNESS AND LENGTH. THE STEEPER AND LONGER THE SLOPE, THE GREATER THE RISK OF SOIL EROSION.

COMBINES SOIL LOSS FROM A SPECIFIC CROP AND SOIL LOSS FROM A SPECIFIC LAND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE

REPRESENTS HOW AN AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT PRACTICE WILL AFFECT SOIL LOSS.

V factor

L factor

C factor

K factor

I factor