Summary
Soil erosion losses were predicted as a part of a larger study aimed at producing estimates of human carrying capacity for a part of the Transamazon Highway Colonization Area of Brazil. Erosion measurements were made under annual crops (upland rice, maize, beans, and manioc), black pepper, cacao, pasture, second growth, and virgin forest. Measurements are of the drop in soil surface levels, and therefore include soil compaction. Regrersions were developed for prediction of erosion based on such variables as slope and soil clay content. The erosion prediction equations developed were used in computer simulations of the colonists agroecosystem for carrying capacity estimation. Erosion affects carrying capacity through its effect on soil fertility and thereby crop yields.