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Effects of Soil Physical Properties, Rainfall Characteristics, and Wind Velocity on Clod Disintegration by Simulated Rainfall¹

ABSTRACT

The effects of clod size and density, rainfall intensity and duration, and wind velocity on clod disintegration by simulated rainfall were studied in a laboratory wind tunnel-raintower facility. Significant interactions (including those of higher order) were found among the variables studied. Clod bulk density had a minor effect on disintegration. For a specific clod size and wind velocity, 10-min rains at 5.61 cm/hour were about as destructive as 90-min rains at 1.60 cm/hour, even though the total volume of rainfall was 2.5 times larger in the latter case.

Wind-driven rain was very effective in clod disintegration. Up to 66% more soil was lost from clods exposed to 13.4-m/sec winds than from those exposed to no wind for the same rain intensity, duration of exposure, and clod size. Mean drop size striking the clods probably increases with wind velocity and would account for some of the wind effects. Small clods were more susceptible to disintegration by raindrop impact than large clods. Multiple regression analyses indicate about 80 and 89% of the soil detachment variance was accounted for by linear and curvilinear procedures respectively.

¹ Contribution from the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division, ARS, USDA, in cooperation with the Kansas Agr. Exp. Sta. Department of Agronomy Contribution no. 1004.

² Agricultural Engineer, Agricultural Engineer Research Assistant, and Research Investigations Leader, Soil Erosion, respectively, USDA, Manhattan, Kan.

Received for publication May 17, 1968. Accepted for publication October 29, 1968.