USLE

Universal Soil Loss Equation

• To guide methodical decision making
in conservation planning on a site
basis

• To predict longtime average soil

losses and runoff from specific areas
in specified cropping and
management systems.
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 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• To enable planners to project limited
erosion data to many locations and
conditions not directly represented
by research

• For estimating average annual soil

loss from sheet and rill erosion only.

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 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• A is the average annual soil loss in
tons per acre
• The equation can be used to estimate
A or to determine the value of other
parameters to meet a desired value
for A

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 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• R is the rainfall factor
• R = SEI
– E is the Energy in the Rainfall
– I is the maximum half-hour rainfall
intensity for the storm.
• R varies with the climate at a
particular location. (See Fig. 6.4, p.94)
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 Average Annual Rainfall
Factor (R)

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 Iowa NRCS 1999 USLE R-Factor

120 130 135 135 145 145 150 155

160 160
145
130 135 140 145 145 150 155 155

160 160
155
130 135 140 145 145 145 150 155

145 160 165 160

145 155 160
140 145 145 150 155

160
140 160 160 165 165
145 145 150 150 155 155
160

145 145 150 165

155 160 160 165 165 165 165 165
165
170
155 160 160 170 170 170 170 170
170
160 165 170 170 175 175 175 175 175 175 175
165 170 180
180 180 180 180 180 180 175

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 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• K is the soil erodibility factor
• (tons/acre/unit of R)
• K depends on the type of soil
– Texture
– Clay and Organic Matter Content
– Structure, Permeability, Drainage

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 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• LS is the field topography factor
– L is the slope length factor
– S is the slope degree factor
– L = 1 for a field length of 72.6 feet
– S = 1 for a field slope of 9%
– LS is a ratio of erosion for the given
condition to erosion for the standard
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1/29/99 9
 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• C is the Cropping and management
factor
– C is a ratio of the erosion rate for the
given condition to the erosion rate for
the standard condition
– The standard condition is a bare soil
– All other conditions will have C<1
• C also depends on rainfall timing
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 USLE C-Factor
• Continuous Fallow 1.00
• Fresh Clean-Tilled Seedbed 0.80
• Corn at Full Canopy 0.25
• Established Thick Meadow 0.004
• Established Meadow Poor Cover 0.1
• Typical Rowcrop Annual Value 0.40

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 Crop Residue C-factor

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 USLE: C-factors for Corn
Spring Plow (residue left)
from table 6.2, page 98
• Fallow (rough plow) 0.36
• SB to 10% cover 0.60
• To 50% cover 0.52
• To 75% cover 0.41
• To harvest (90% cover) 0.24
• Harvest to Plowing (RdL) 0.30
• average 0.405
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 Distribution of the Rainfall-Erosion
Index
100

NE Iowa 90

Percent of Annual Erosion

NW Mississippi 80
NW Oregon 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360 390
Day of the Year
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 Universal Soil Loss Equation
Computation of C Factor Northern Iowa
Continuous Corn Spring Plow/Residue left

Date or Period Crop Growth %R Period C

Stage C
Jan 1-APR 1 4 2 30 0.006
APRIL F 4 36 0.014
MAY SB 11 60 0.066
JUNE 1 26 52 0.135
JULY 2 24 41 0.098
AUGUST 3:90 18 24 0.043
SEPT 4L 11 30 0.033
OCT 1-DEC 31 F 4 30 0.012

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100 0.408 15
TOTAL ANNUAL C-FACTOR = 40.82
 USLE
Universal Soil Loss Equation
• A = R K LS C P
• P is the factor for supporting
conservation practices.
• The standard condition for P is direct
up-and-down the slope cultivation.
• P will be less than one for all other
conditions.
• P depends on field slope
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CONSERVATION PRACTICE
FACTOR: P
• The P-factor is the ratio of soil loss
under the given condition to soil loss
from up-and-down-slope farming.
Therefore it is a value between 0 and
1

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 USLE P-factor
UNIVERSAL SOIL LOSS EQUATION

1.2
CONSERVATION PRACTICE

0.8
FACTOR

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
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FIELD SLOPE IN PERCENT
CONSERVATION PRACTICE
FACTOR: P
• On nearly level land contouring has
little effect, so the ratio is 1.0
• On very steep land contouring has
little effect, so the ratio is 1.0
• The greatest effect of contouring on
erosion is on slopes between 3 and 8
percent.

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 USLE WHEN TERRACES
ARE USED
• Farming will be on the contour, so
use the P-factor for contouring.
• The LS-factor will reflect the terrace
spacing as the length of slope.
• If the concern is with off-field
damages from sediment use the
Sediment Delivery Factor of 0.2 as
well as the contouring P-factor
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 USLE with Strip-Cropping

• Use the contouring P-factor as

well as the Strip-Cropping Factor

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 USLE Equation Terms
Term High Low High/Lo
Value Value w Ratio
R 600 50 12
K 0.49 0.02 24.5
LS 6+ 0.20 30
C 0.6 0.021 29
P 1.0 0.25 4
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 USLE: Example 1
• Estimate the average annual soil loss
for a field located in central Iowa with
a Silt Loam soil containing 2%
organic matter and a 7% field slope
for a 300-ft. slope length if the annual
crop management factor is 0.42 and
farming is parallel to the field
boundaries.
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 Example 1 Solution
• Solution: Use the Universal Soil
Loss Equation: A = RKLSCP

• From Fig. 6.4, page 94 in the text, for

Central Iowa, R = 170

• From Table 6.1, page 95 in the text,

for Silt Loam Soil with 2%OM, K =
0.42 t/a
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 Example 1 Solution
• From Fig. 6.5, page 95, for 7% slope with 300-
ft length, LS = 1.3

• Given C = 0.42

• From Table 7.1, page 108 in the text, for a 7%

slope with contouring P = 0.5 and for farming
up-and-down the slope P = 1.0. Parallel to
field boundaries will be a mix. Use an
average value of 0.8.

• A = 170 x 0.42 x 1.3 x 0.42 x 0.8 = 31.19 t/a/yr.

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 USLE: Example 2
• If a change was made in Example 1 to farming
on the contour, what would be the annual soil
loss rate?

• Solution: This would only change P in the

above solution. Use the ration A2/A1 = P2/P1

• As shown above, the value of P for this

condition is 0.5. Thus :

• A2 = 31.19 (0.5/0.8) = 19.49 t/a/yr.

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 USLE: Example 3
• If the field in example 1 was altered by
installing terraces at a 150-foot spacing,
what would be the annual soil loss rate?

• Solution: With terraces, the farming would be on

the contour, so this solution just involves
changing the topography factor, LS, from
Example 2. Use the ratio A2/A1 = LS2/LS1. From
Fig. 6.5, page 95 in the text, the new factor, LS2
for 7% slope and 150-foot slope length is 1.01.
From Example 1, the old factor, LS1 is 1.3. Thus,
the new estimate for the annual soil loss rate is:

• A2 = 19.49 (1.01/1.3) = 15.14 t/a/yr.

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 USLE: Example 4
• With terraces installed some of the sediment
removed from the soil surface by the erosion
process will be deposited in the terrace channel.
From example 3, above, estimate how much will
be delivered off the field if the terraces have
graded channel outlets.

• Solution: . From Table 7.1, page 108 in the text,

for terraces with graded channel outlets, about
80% of the eroded sediment will be trapped in the
terrace channel and 20% will be delivered to the
outlet ditch or stream.

• Total off-site delivery = 0.2 x 15.14 = 3.03 t/a/yr.

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