The Effect of Rainfall Intensity on Soil Erosion and Runoff for Latosol Soil in Indonesia

Abstract

Soil erosion is the most serious problem of land degradation in Indonesia. However, limited report has been documented. The erosion problem in Indonesia, particularly in Java, has been at an alarming rate. The fundamental case of soil erosion is the rain effect upon the soi/. Rainfall intensity and soil characteristics are related to soil erosion and runoff The objective of this research was to study the relationship of rainfall intensity, soil erosion and runoff in latosol soi/. An experiment was conducted using plot size 22 m in length and 2 m in width and 9 % slope. A field experiment was conducted with rainfall intensityo bservationfo r 3 months,t o collect soil erosion and runoff in the soil collector. A laboratory experimentw as done using rainfall simulator instrumentsw ith rainfall intensity of 2.3, 3.4, 4.5, 5.6 cm/hr and 8 % slope each with 3 replications. Ther esult of the experimentss howedt hat soil erosion was 3.14 t/ha and runoff was 33.20 m3/ha. When the rainfall size increased the soil erosion and runoff also increased. The correlation coefficient between £130 (Interaction 130 and energy) and soil erosion was positive.