Natural erosion potential in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil

Understanding the susceptibility of soils to erosion is crucial for planning land use towards sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to determine the spatial variability of natural erosion potential for the state of Mato Grosso, an important agricultural center of Brazil. Natural erosion potential was calculated using the Universal Soil Loss Equation, which accounts for erosivity, erodibility, and the topographic factor. For each of these three factors, a map was generated in raster format that was combined into a Geographic Information System and used to create a map of natural erosion potential. This map was then used to separate classes of natural erosion potential for the state of Mato Grosso. The state predominantly has medium levels of natural erosion potential (58.38% in area), followed by high (21.67%) and low (19.57%) levels. Areas of low natural erosion potential are predominantly located in the flatter sections of the state. The topographic factor was strongly correlated with natural erosion potential. It is an important component to support land use planning and soil conservation practices. Regions considered to have high natural erosion potential are most commonly in the northwest (46.69% in area), north (32.7%), and west (30.05%) macro-regions.

Key words:
soil conservation; soil loss; erosivity; erodibility; USLE

NEP Class	NEP Range (t ha^-1 per year)
Low	< 100
Medium	100 > PNE ≤ 200
High	200 > PNE ≤ 600
Very High	> 600

NEP class (t ha^-1 per year)	Area (ha)	Percentage	Accumulated percentage
Low	18,219,884.40	19.57	19.57
Medium	54,348,885.20	58.38	77.95
High	20,179,325.10	21.67	99.62
Very High	351,905.30	0.38	100.00
Total	93,100,000	100	-

Region	Correlation of factors
Region	NEP × R	NEP × K	NEP × LS
Mato Grosso	0.29	0.24	0.69*
Northwest	0.03	0.27	0.61*
North	0.17	0.43*	0.52*
Northeast	0.24	0.50*	0.59*
Middle North	0.15	0.69*	0.63*
Southeast	0.16	0.34*	0.67*
Central South	0.25	0.05	0.83*
West	0.23	0.32*	0.73*

Unidade Acadêmica de Engenharia Agrícola Unidade Acadêmica de Engenharia Agrícola, UFCG, Av. Aprígio Veloso 882, Bodocongó, Bloco CM, 1º andar, CEP 58429-140, Campina Grande, PB, Brasil, Tel. +55 83 2101 1056 - Campina Grande - PB - Brazil
E-mail: revistagriambi@gmail.com

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[1] * Corresponding author - E-mail: lucas.c.moreira@ufv.br

Brasil

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Natural erosion potential in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil1 1 Research developed at Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil

Potencial natural de erosão no Estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil

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ABSTRACT

Natural erosion potential in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil¹ 1 Research developed at Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil