APPLICATION OF THE UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS EQUATION IN THREE MICROREGIONS OF MARANHENSE AMAZON

Abstract

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (EUPS) is widely used to estimate soil erosion in the United States and other influential countries. Thus, erodibility represents the intrinsic susceptibility of the soil to the erosion process, represented by the K na value (EUPS). In Maranhão, human activities have strongly contributed to the degradation and even loss of soil, as a result of the expansion of agricultural frontiers related to logging, mining, charcoal production and agricultural activity. The objective of this research is to evaluate soil losses through the application of the Universal Soil Loss Equation to representative soil orders in three microregions of the Maranhão Amazon. Specific areas were selected, and the formula was applied under different evaluation purposes. Obtaining the values of soil loss per unit of area and time (A), rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), topographic factors that express the length (in meters) and slope of the terrain (LS), a factor that expresses the use and management of soil and culture (C) and, finally, the factor that expresses soil conservation practice (P).