ABSTRACT:
Estimates of erosion's effects on soil productivity in the Corn Belt are projected over 25, 50, and 100 years. The weighted average loss in productivity is less than 8 percent for any major land resource area (MRLA) in the Corn Belt over the next 100 years. However, the productivity decline can be substantial on some soils in certain landscapes, especially where slopes exceed 6 percent. Deep, fertile soils and the preponderance of cropland on nearly level to gently rolling terrain buffers the Corn Belt against productivity reductions over the next 100 years.
Footnotes
F. J. Pierce is an associate scientist in the Soil Science Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, 55108; R. R. Dowdy is a research soil scientist. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and professor, University of Minnesota, St. Paul; and W. E. Larson is head, and W.A.P. Graham is a senior systems analyst, Soil Science Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. This article is a contribution from the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, Paper No. 13,711, Scientific Journal Series, and the Soil and Water Management Research Unit, ARS, USDA. The authors thank the Soil Conservation Service for its support.
- Copyright 1984 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
