This study was carried out in order to evaluate the relation between erosivity index and the rainfall pattern associated with different kinds of soil preparation and cover with erosion losses in a Red Yellow Argisol. The experiment was conducted in five soil loss experimental plots of 3.5 x 22.0 m, with the following treatments: conventional tillage (plowing plus disking) in contour lines and sowing the velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens), sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and corn (Zea mays L.); conventional tillage (plowing plus disking) in slope line and sowing of corn, conventional tillage (plowing plus disking) in slope line and without soil cover. The results showed that soil loss was more affected by different treatments than water loss; the treatments sun hemp and corn sowed in slope line were those that presented, respectively, the smaller and the larger soil and water losses; and the precipitation events characterized as advanced, intermediate and delayed patterns were responsible for 62.6, 11.8 and 25.6% of the water losses and for 35.1, 6.6 and 58.3% of the soil losses, respectively.
erosive rainfall; soil loss; water loss; runoff
