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The binding and cementing potentials of clay and organic matter (OM) and the weakening effect of wetting are important in the stability of soil aggregates. They can therefore influence aggregate breakdown (AB) and splash detachment (SD), which are initial steps in the erosion process. We investigated the interactive effects of clay and OM on AB and SD under various wetting rates (WR) and antecedent moisture contents (AMC) using six agricultural soils from Trinidad. The selection criteria for the six soils were based on three levels of clay; low (<20%), medium (20–45%) and high (>45%) and two levels of OM; low (≤3%), and high (>3%). Samples were prewetted with mist at slow (7.5 mm h−1) and fast (75 mm h−1) WR to AMC of 0.5 of field capacity (FC) and FC and exposed to intense simulated rainfall of 120 mm h−1 The sensitivity of a sample to disruption under varying wetting conditions and intense rainfall depended on the level of combination of clay and OM in the sample. Increase in clay beyond the medium level without raising OM to high level strengthened disruptive forces and increased the proportion of microaggregates. The AB and SD of the medium clay‐high organic matter (McHom) soils were significantly lower than their high clay‐low organic matter (HcLom) counterparts irrespective of WR and AMC. This implies that a threshold clay content exists beyond which an accompanying increase in OM is required to mitigate detachment mechanisms and erosion under intense rainfall.

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In the humid tropics, soil erosion due to the impact of high-intensity tropical rainfall is one of the important environmental problems. A quick assessment of slaking sensitivity of soils that are frequently subjected to the fast wetting of intense rainfall of the humid tropics is necessary for the selection of appropriate soil management practices to avoid soil structure deterioration that results in runoff, seal formation, erosion and eventual degradation. Unfortunately, field and laboratory measurements of slaking sensitivity are tedious, time consuming and expensive. Therefore, a slaking sensitivity ranking framework using readily available soil data, namely, clay content, organic matter content, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) determined to be important in slaking sensitivity and structural degradation under intense rainfall was developed. The ranking framework was subsequently used to classify 23 agriculturally important Trinidadian soils into slaking sensitivity classes for management recommendation. A simple mathematical model that provides a rapid assessment of slaking sensitivity was also developed using the soil data of 14 out of the 23 soils and subsequently tested on the remaining nine soils. Our results suggest that about 80 per cent or more of the soils are highly sensitive to slaking pressures, highly vulnerable to degradation and require management practices that reduce the rate of wetting and thus degradation of aggregates under intense rainfall. The developed model performed with a high degree of accuracy as the predicted values were in close agreement with measured values (r ¼ 0Á93). This suggests that the model gives a good indication of the structural degradation vulnerability of the soils studied under the conditions applied and criteria used. The model is, therefore, recommended for use in the tested humid tropical soils. However, more comprehensive testing is required on a broader range of soils prior to its more widespread application in other climatic conditions.

Soil erosion due to the impact of high‐intensity tropical rainfall is one of the important environmental problems in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Organic matter and incubation can increase soil cohesion after soil structure disruption and therefore influence aggregate stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), which are key properties in improving soil and water management. We examined the influence of manure incorporation and incubation duration on the structural stability of three tropical soils with different clay contents and mineralogies. Samples were treated with farmyard manure (FYM) at the rates of 0, 6, and 12% per dry mass of soil, brought to field capacity (FC), and incubated for 56 d at an average temperature and humidity of 26°C and 67.5%, respectively. Subsamples were taken at 14, 28, and 56 d for the determination of water‐stable aggregation (WSA) and Ksat We found an increase in WSA of 23 to 27% for the three soils studied when we compared the natural sample with no treatment to the largest treatment combination (12% FYM and 56‐d incubation). The higher the load of FYM incorporation, the more stable the soil became with incubation. Greater improvement was found in Ksat, whose values increased between 50 and 700%. Also, both WSA and Ksat increased with incubation duration regardless of FYM level or clay content and mineralogy. This suggests that, by itself, soil incubation at FC after structural disturbance, with or without FYM incorporation, is a desirable practice that encourages particle bonding and structural improvement.