C-Factors of the Universal Soil Loss Equation for olive plantations in Western Anatolia (central Ege Region)

In the course of investigations into soil erosion and its prediction in Western Anatolia (Ege region), C-factors of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE/ABAG) were also determined for various agricultural culture systems, including olive orchards. Because of the extreme level of input and expenditure required for field tests in such an investigation, the necessary information was instead acquired from surveys of agricultural organizations and local experts, along with additional own assessments. The information collected was analyzed in the form of a partly analogous application of specific values available in the USLE and ABAG, respectively. So the C-factor estimation was performed dependent on analogous deductions. Necessary information about the seasonal course of rainfall erosivity in the area under investigation was acquired from a relevant Turkish study. Erosion problems in olive plantations result particularly from the intensity of soil tillage practices and from the treatment of the undergrowth (= weed and grass). That the level of the C-factor of an olive plantation can be substantially influenced by this value alone is demonstrated by a comparison with the effect of the simultaneously determined second C-factor component, namely the canopy effect of the trees themselves. The information gained can be used as a basis for recommendations to control erosion in olive plantations.