Vegetation barrier and tillage effects on runoff and sediment in an alley crop system on a Luvisol in Burkina Faso

Sediment yield could best be predicted by the erosivity index (AIm), second best by runoff amount (mm), closely followed by maximum peak intensity. All these parameters are related to the volume of overland flow needed to transport soil particles. Correlation of soil loss with small rain showers was poor and correlation with big showers was good. Sediment transport with no barrier had the highest correlation, closely followed by less effective barriers. Due to the heterogeneity in development of the effective barrier, correlations were much lower. The bulk of soil loss was only dependent on a few extreme events during the observation period.