The methodology cesium-137 was used to assess soil erosion and deposition rates in a small watershed with varied crops, at 23º16' S and 51º17' W, in a district of Cambé, Paraná State, Brazil. A theoretical equation which considers soil loss or gain directly proportional to the cesium-137 redistribution was utilized in this study. In the watershed, soil redistribution was assessed by transect sampling, and the regional input of cesium-137 by radioactive rainfall determined based on samples from a point in the native forest. Most sampled pasture points presented soil loss, as well as the points in the soybean area under conventional tillage, while in the coffee crop there was neither soil loss nor gain.
cesium-137; radioactive precipitation; soil erosion; soil deposition
