Relationship of soil properties with erodibility indices in different land use systems in Central alluvial tract of Uttar Pradesh

A study comprised of four land uses, viz. forest land, cultivated land, grass land and nalabed land and two soil textures in different land uses i.e., sandy loam and silty clay was carried out at Student's Instructional Farm of C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur. It is observed that nalabed land was rich in water stable aggregates, clay and silt. Erosion ratio was negatively correlated with clay (r=-0.970***), silt (r=-0.929***), moisture equivalent (r=-0.789**), water holding capability (r=-0.755**), water stable aggregates (r=-0.909**) and positively and significantly correlated with sand (r= 0.951***), bulk density (r= 0.559**), easily dispersible silt + clay (r= 0.588**), clay ratio (r= 0.401*), dispersion ratio (r= 0.976***) and erosion index (r= 0.991***). A significant and positive correlation was recorded for water stable aggregates with silt (r= 0.791***), clay (r= 0.890***), moisture equivalent (r= 0.866***), WHC (r= 0.858***) and negatively significant correlated with sand (r=-0.837***), easily dispersible silt + clay (r=-0.702***), bulk density (r=-0.449***), clay ratio (r=-0.369***), dispersion ratio (r=-0.927***), and erosion index (r=-0.895***). Among various land uses, erosion ratio and dispersion ratio were significantly correlated with each other. The highest value of dispersion ratio was recorded under cultivated land and lowest in nalabed; whereas, lowest erosion index was recorded under nalabed land and highest in the cultivated land exhibiting the order: cultivated land > grass land > forest land > nalabed land.