Abstract
Developing countries in the tropics are facing more soil erosion problems than the developed temperate countries. However, most of these developing countries have no accurate locally applicable equation(s) for predicting soil erosion for planning and implementation of soil conservation measures. Furthermore, these countries do not have the necessary resources to develop soil loss prediction equation(s). Existing empirical equations like the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) if modified to suit tropical conditions can be useful tools in soil erosion control in these regions. Equations for estimating the soil erodibility factor in the USLE for tropical soils are presented. These equations have been developed using tropical soils, ranging from sandy to clayey in texture. Statistically, the equations explain about 84 to about 91 % of the variations in soil erodibilities. As determining the USLE erodibility factor for the tropical soils has been a problem difficult to solve, these equations are useful for countries in the tropics requiring soundly-based measures for controlling soil erosion.
