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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to describe the extent and intensity of interrili, rill and ephemeral gully erosion on arable land in southern Sweden. Measurements of rill and ephemeral gully erosion have been made in three agricultural districts (90 km2). Interrili erosion has been studied in six experimental fields. The measurements were carried out from October to April in the three years 1986/87, 1987/88 and 1988/89.
Within the agricultural area studied (Scania - southern Sweden) about 7 per cent of the arable fields were affected each year by rill and ephemeral gully erosion at an average rate of about 825 kg ha-1 year-1. The intensities showed a great spatial and temporal variation from 1 kg ha-1 year-1 to 120 t ha-1 year-1. Some of the fields can be classified as having a land degradation problem of economic and environmental significance. Interrill erosion varied between 1 kg ha-1 year-1 and 16 t ha-1 year-1.
The observed erosion rates in this study are greater than the average erosion rate on arable land in Sweden, estimated by the Swedish Environmental Protection Board (SNV 1986). If the results are comparable it implies that earlier estimations are either too low or that the investigated region is more sensitive to erosion than other agricultural districts in Sweden.
