Footslope Positions Research Articles

EROSION PATTERNS ON CULTIVATED AND UNCULTIVATED HILLSLOPES DETERMINED BY SOIL FLY ASH CONTENTS

The severity of accelerated erosion is affected by slope gradient, slope shape, slope length, and tillage practices. Fly ash, the product of high temperature coal combustion, has been used previously as a sedimentation marker, but it has never been used on the upland as an indicator of soil loss from erosion. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of soil removal from a hillslope as a result of accelerated erosion and its subsequent deposition on a lower landscape position using the presence, depth distribution, and concentration of fly ash, organic carbon, and magnetic susceptibility to identify the remaining original soil as well as a sediment marker. The study was carried out by comparing the amount of fly ash contained in the soil profile at different landscape positions of a cultivated site with that in an uncultivated woodland site. Fly ash deposition began in 1855 with traffic on the Illinois Central railroad between Chicago and Cairo, Illinois. In 1889 and 1928, additional rail lines were located closer to both sites. Organic C, magnetic-mineral content, and magnetic susceptibility decreased regularly with depth at both sites. Magnetic susceptibility was generally higher on the uncultivated site compared with the cultivated site for all landscape positions except the lower footslope. Compared with the uncultivated site, there was 50% less fly ash on interfluve and shoulder landscape segments of the cultivated site, 35% less on the backslope, and 67% less on the depositional lower footslope position. When the entire transect site is considered, the cultivated site had 47% less fly ash in the upper 22.5-cm soil profile compared with the uncultivated site. These results indicated that 10.6 cm, or 47%, of the upper soil layer has been eroded from the hillslope since 1855 (142 years) as a result of accelerated erosion induced by cultivation. For the backslope, the presence of 65%, or 15 cm, of the original surface soil layers and 67% of the fly ash at the cultivated site places the soil in the moderately eroded phase of the Grantsburg soil.

WATER BALANCE AND FLOW PATTERNS IN A FRAGIPAN USING IN SITU SOIL BLOCK

A soil block (1.5 m × 1.5 m × 1.5 m) was excavated at a footslope position on a hillslope underlain by a fragipan horizon. The block vertical faces were sealed on three sides using bentonite, sand, and lumber, with horizontal pressure exerted from basement jacks. The downslope face of the block

Landscape Effects on Desiccation Cracking in an Aqualf

AbstractThe rapid transport of water and solute through desiccation soil cracks can lead to crop water and nutrient stress as well as ground and surface water contamination. This study hypothesized that desiccation cracking varies with landscape positions. Cracking was quantified at three landscape positions in a Mexico silt loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Mollic Endoaqualf). The elevation changes of seven disks placed at 15‐cm depth increments in the profile were measured to determine changes in soil layer thickness. Crack volume in the upper 90‐cm profile was determined from thickness changes of the six soil layers. Disk elevation and soil profile water content measurements were made weekly during the crop season (April–November) in 1992 and 1994 on summit, backslope, and footslope positions. During both years, the backslope position profile developed the largest amount of crack volume (4.3 cm3 cm−2 in 1992, 4.8 cm3 cm−2 in 1994) and had the least amount of water depletion (10.0 cm3 cm−2 in 1992, 9.7 cm3 cm−2 in 1994). At the backslope position, a thin, high‐clay‐content Ap horizon and a shallow, clay‐rich Bt horizon (both high in smectite clay) lead to these developments. Differences in shrinkage characteristics of aggregates from Ap, Bt, and C horizons across landscape positions were related to textural and mineralogical differences. Bt horizon clay contents as high as 64.4%, comprised of up to 75% smectite, produced the greatest volume reductions (41%) of aggregates from the Bt horizon compared with volume reductions of aggregates from the Ap and C horizons. Soil texture and mineralogy influenced the magnitude of desiccation soil cracking and water depletion.

Pedogenesis in a soil catena on serpentinite in north-western Italy

Serpentinite is a fairly common parent material for soils of the Alps and Apennines in Italy. In the Apennines these soils may show very different degrees of development even over small areas. This work was undertaken to study the pedogenesis on a soil catena occurring on a very small hill, with a particular attention to the clay mineral transformations. The catena is only 100 m long, but four orders of the Soil Taxonomy were represented, ranging from Entisols to Alfisols. In the clay fraction of the Entisol and of the Inceptisol located respectively at the summit and at the backslope positions, we found that serpentine is the main mineral in the clay fraction and that traces of some interstratified low charge vermiculites are present in the surface horizon. The two Alfisols at the footslope positions have different clay minerals: one of them shows some low charge vermiculites in the surface horizons and smectites in the deepest ones, while in the other one smectites were found in the surface horizon too. These two profiles have different drainage regimes as seen in the field and from laboratory determination of water content and porosity. Significant differences ( p < 0.01) of porosity were found in the catena between the horizons with smectites and those with low charge vermiculite. In the Mollisol, located at the toeslope position, a trend towards acidification was found in the surface horizon but the presence of serpentine acts as a continuous magnesium source thus preventing the base saturation to become < 50%. The main pedogenic processes in this catena are: lessivage of clays; formation of different 2 : 1 phyllosilicates depending probably on the porosity; acidification caused by organic materials. In some horizons an enrichment of organic matter is possible, but the acidification is hindered by the parent rock. No clear evidence of chlorite formation from serpentine was found. The weathering of serpentine minerals seems to give rise to a low charge vermiculite in upper and drier horizons or to a smectite in poorly drained conditions. Vermiculite in turn may transform into smectite under a moister environment.

Landscape and Seasonal Patterns of Nitrous Oxide Emissions in a Semiarid Region

AbstractAs a prerequisite for quantification of annual N2O emissions at a regional scale, this study was conducted to determine the landscape‐scale patterns and seasonal fluctuations of N2O emission and to demonstrate the linking relationships between large‐scale controllers and proximal factors of N2O emission. An area of the Black soil zone of central Saskatchewan, Canada, was stratified into three main textural areas: clay loam, fine sandy loam, and sandy. Within each textural area, representative sites were selected based on land use: unfertilized and fertilized cropland, fallow, pasture, and forest sites. A consistent landscape‐scale pattern of N2O emission was observed; footslope positions had higher N2O fluxes than shoulder positions. The role of topography is attributed to its strong influence on the hydrologic and pedologic processes in the landscape, which, in turn, regulate the soil factors controlling N2O emission at the microscale level. The seasonal fluctuation of N2O emission was influenced by precipitation. Pulses of activity were observed during summer, after rainfall events following N fertilizer application, and during spring thaw. At the regional scale, the sandy area had lower N2O emissions than the fine‐textured areas. The general order of N2O evolved among the land uses was forest &lt; pasture &lt; fallow ≈ unfertilized &lt; fertilized cropland. Our results showed the importance of developing spatially based, predictive relationships between N2O emission and its controlling factors. Linking these relationships with large‐scale integrative variables, such as soil texture and land use, provides a means for extrapolating N2O fluxes from landscape to regional scale.

Formation of soils with plinthite on a toposequence in Maranha˜o State, Brazil

Soils with plinthite and ironstone concretions are extensive in Maranha˜o State, northeastern Brazil. They formed from the Fe-rich Itapecuru sandstone in a tropical subhumid climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Most plinthic soils in Brazil have properties associated with low-activity clays, but these soils were reported to have properties associated with high-activity clays. The main objectives of this study were to characterize the chemical and mineralogical properties of the soils and to deduce the processes of their formation in relation to hillslope position. six soils were sampled, two each on summit, shoulder, and footslope positions. They were analyzed by standard characterization methods and by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The parent sandstone bedrock contained mainly quartz, feldspars, muscovite, biotite, and resistant minerals in the sand fraction, and smectite, mica and kaolinite in the clay fraction. The main Fe-oxide mineral was hematite. Most soil horizons had lower Fe concentrations than the sandstone parent material. Kaolinite, mica and quartz occurred in the coarse clay fraction of all pedons. Soils on the summit positions (Ustic Dystropept and Typic Ustorthent) lacked redoximorphic features, lacked plinthite, had the highest cation exchange capacity, and showed the weakest development. They were rich in smectite, probably inherited from the parent material, and goethite. soils on shoulder positions (Inceptic Plinthustult and Plinthic Dystropept) had the largest concentration of total Fe, mostly as goethite. Those on footslopes (Typic Plinthaquult and Plinthic Paleaquult) exhibited the most redoximorphic features and had horizons in which the Fe was strongly concentrated in ironstone and plinthite, mostly as lepidocrocite and goethite. The crystallinity of these minerals increased from non-plinthic material to plinthite to ironstone concretions. They formed as the hematite in the sandstone weathered. These soils are less weathered than most plinthic soils of Brazil. Diagnostic criteria for some subgroups of the Plinthustult and Dystropept great groups of soil Taxonomy and some new classes for the Brazilian soil Classification system were proposed.

Analyzing Root Competition with Dirichlet Tessellation for Wheat on Three Landscape Positions

AbstractThe underlying mechanisms for root competition are not completely understood; yet, it is important to accurately define the zone of influence around individual roots for nutrient or water uptake, particularly when modeling nutrient uptake processes. The objectives of this study were to investigate the use of the Dirichlet tessellation for quantifying soil polygons around roots of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Katepwa) grown on three landscape positions and to quantify the root spatial patterns. Roots were exposed on a horizontal soil plane at 2‐, 5‐, and 10‐cm depths and mapped on acetate sheets at 21, 45, and 88 days after planting (DAP) for shoulder, backslope, and footslope positions. Tessellation of scanned root maps showed that soil polygons decreased in size during the sampling period; however, polygon areas increased with soil depth regardless of slope position and ranged from 0.08 to 52.77 cm2. Eccentricity averaged 0.74 ± 0.01, indicating that polygons were more circular than elliptical and root displacement averaged one‐third the distance from the polygon center to the polygon edge. Root spatial patterns using R‐index values, showed that roots on shoulder positions had clumped to random patterns while roots at the footslope had random to regular patterns. Root spatial patterns and displacement for wheat violated the assumptions used in nutrient uptake modeling and should be incorporated into future modeling efforts. Dirichlet tessellation is an effective procedure for analyzing root competition and has promise for multispecies competition if different root systems can be weighted by morphological or physiological characteristics.

Effect of Landscape Position on Soil Water and Corn Silage Yield

AbstractSystematic variation in plant‐available water at different landscape positions is thought to be one of the most important factors controlling crop production. The objectives of this study were to evaluate variability in equivalent depth of soil water, plant‐available water, and soil water pressure as a function of landscape position and their effects on corn (Zea mays L.) silage production. Soil water content to a depth of 1 m and soil water pressure at depths of 30, 45, and 60 cm were monitored at 5‐m intervals on an 110‐m‐long transect, and at 10‐m intervals on an 80‐m‐long transect using neutron attenuation and tensiometers, respectively. Plant‐available water at a given time was calculated as field‐measured soil water content minus the soil water content at −1500 kPa. Corn silage yield was measured on 13.5‐m2 plots centered at 5‐ or 10‐m intervals and grouped by landscape position. The foot slope position had the lowest total water content on both transects, but the greatest amount of plant‐available water on the longer transect. Equivalent depth of soil water in the upper 1 m of soil decreased from the interfluve to the footslope position and was negatively correlated with silage yield. Soil water pressures were greater at the footslope than the other landscape positions and were positively correlated with silage yield in the shorter transect.

Soil Properties Associated with Landscape Position

Yield differences among landscape positions have been attributed to soil erosion and differences in plant-available water, soil texture, bulk density, and surface soil thickness. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which soil chemical properties and soil texture varied among landscape positions. Soil samples were taken to a depth of 120 cm from the upper interfluve, lower interfluve, shoulder, upper linear, lower linear, and footslope positions at each of four sites located in eastern Nebraska. Significant differences among landscape positions were found for 13 soil properties. Sand, silt, pH, CaCO3, extractable Ca and Mg, exchangeable Ca, and base saturation generally increased downslope, while clay, organic matter, cation-exchange capacity, and available K generally decreased downslope. Highest concentrations of available K occurred on the upper interfluve, lower interfluve, and footslope; lowest concentrations were found on the upper and lower linear slopes. Management practices appear to have influenced pH, electrical conductivity, available P and K, and exchangeable K, particularly in the upper 30 cm. Drought conditions during the 1988 growing season resulted in carryover of NO3-N in the upper 30 cm. Nitrate-N in 1990 was leached to deeper depths.

Soil catena variation along an alpine climatic transect, northern Peruvian Andes

Morphological and chemical properties of soils developed on end moraines of mostly quartzitic and granitic composition in the puna region of the northern Peruvian Andes vary with slope position and climate. Soil development was assessed on two catenas of similar age range (8–12 ka) in two different precipitation zones at summit, backslope, and footslope positions. Soil properties that show trends downslope and with increased rainfall are: greater clay content, greater organic-carbon content, and greater pedogenic Fe content. In addition, pH is lower in the higher rainfall area. Eolian material (mixed loess), forms the surface layer (A horizon) and may be responsible for the remarkable slope stability in the area. It is suggested that mixed loess provided material for chemical alteration and translocation of clay and Fe vertically and downslope in quartz-rich parent materials. Soil data suggest that the amount of climate change during the Holocene is limited; it is doubtful if the climate at the wetter end of the transect ever existed at the drier end.

Characterization and Genesis of Saprolite Derived from Gneissic Rocks of Virginia

AbstractSaprolite is the most prevalent soil parent material in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Highlands regions of Virginia. Soil‐saprolite‐land‐scape associations were examined in these regions in order to describe and characterize saprolite formed from gneissic rocks, and to study saprolite genesis on these landscapes. Three representative landscape associations were chosen as study sites, and soil and saprolite were examined at the summit, backslope, and footslope positions of each. Saprolite thickness decreased from summit to footslope. Greater thicknesses of saprolite at summits are apparently related to the relative stability of this position compared with associated backslopes and footslopes. Reconstruction results indicate that between 20 and 36% of the mass of the partially weathered rock, which is the precursor of saprolite, is lost during saprolite formation. From 73 to 82% of these losses are Al or Si. Initial soil formation occurs at a faster rate than saprolite formation. As profile development increases, the rate of soil formation and consequent increase in solum thickness is reduced. After soil formation is reduced to a rate below that of saprolite formation, and chemical weathering controls the rate at which the thickness of the regolith increases, saprolite begins to accumulate below the solum.

Aggregate Stability in the Palouse Region of Washington: Effect of Landscape Position

AbstractAn extensive study was conducted to measure spatial patterns in aggregate stability in the steep, hilly, and highly erodible loessial soils of the Palouse region in southeastern Washington. Soil samples were collected at 20‐m spacings along four 800‐m‐long transects within a winter wheat field and analyzed for aggregate stability at a slow and a fast rate of wetting, organic C, amorphous Fe, soil water content, and particle size distribution. Aggregate stability under slow wetting, organic C, and clay content were significantly different at summit, shoulder, toeslope, and footslope positions on the landscape. More specifically, aggregate stability and organic C content were highest in footslope and toeslope positions, and lowest at the summit. Clay content was highest at the summit and lowest in footslope positions. Aggregate stability at a fast rate of wetting had a coefficient of variation (40%) that was nearly double that for slow wetting, and was not well correlated to either landscape position or measured soil properties. The variation in aggregate stability under slow wetting could be modeled in terms of organic C content and elevation. Other properties such as amorphous Fe and water or clay content were only weakly correlated to aggregate stability. Thus, although the spatial patterns in aggregate stability exhibited moderate variability (CV = 22%), the patterns were closely related to changes in a few key properties, namely, organic C content and landscape position. A likely explanation for these findings is that soil erosion removes the topsoil and organic matter from the ridgetops, thus exposing subsoil horizons, which are higher in clay content and lower in aggregate stability.

Climatic and Topographic Relations of Three Great Plains Soils: I. Soil Morphology

Factors affecting soil water balance can significantly influence organic matter and mineral nutrient levels in semiarid soils. Understanding the relationships of climate and topography with certain soil morphological properties may provide useful information for assessing climatic and topographic interactions on soil C, N, and P. Soil profiles were sampled on summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope positions in three climatic zones of the semiarid central Great Plains characterized by 395, 444, and 514 mm of mean annual precipitation and 10.8, 10.7, and 11.5 °C mean annual temperature, respectively. Sites were selected on the basis of similarity for parent material, rangeland management, slope, and aspect. Depth to maximum clay content increased linearly with increased precipitation on summit positions. Depth to maximum clay and argillic-horizon thickness generally increased from the summit to lower landscape positions within a given clmiatic zone, indicating increased effective precipitation in this same direction. However, shallower sola and depths to maximum carbonate concentrations were found on some shoulder and backslope segments, in comparison with their respective summits. Thus, while effective precipitation may increase from the summit to lower landscape positions, these observations may also reflect hillslope erosional history or the importance of subsurface lateral flow.

Characterization of basaltic clay soils (vertisols) from the Oxford land system in central Queensland

Morphological, chemical and physical properties of basaltic clay soils (Vertisols-Usterts and Torrerts) from the Oxford Land System in central Queensland are described and compared over their geographical range of occurrence and also their position in the landscape. These soils are derived from undifferentiated basic lavas and interbedded pyroclastics of Tertiary age. Black earths are the dominant soil group. Position on slope had the biggest influence on depth of soil, with crest and mid-upper slope positions having more shallow (&lt;0.9 m) soils than mid-lower and footslope positions. Soils have very high CEC and clay contents throughout the profile, are mildly alkaline at the surface and strongly so at depth, are non-saline and non-sodic (except in some footslope positions), and have an exchange complex dominated by calcium and magnesium. In the surface 0.1 m, extractable P and Zn, and total N and S levels are low and crop responses to fertilizer are probable. In comparison of 26 paired sites, where areas of native pasture and cultivation occur in close proximity, cultivated soils have lower organic C and total N, P, K and S levels than native pasture soils. This reflects a general decline in soil fertility under cultivation, and has implications for soil management and long-term soil stability.

Landscape and Soil Property Effects on Corn Grain Yield Response to Tillage

AbstractDeep tillage practices such as chiseling and in‐row subsoiling generally increase crop yields on well‐drained sandy soils of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Although attempts have been made to relate deep tillage response to measurable soil physical and chemical properties, little information is available relating within field corn (Zea mays L.) yield responses to topographic factors. This study was initiated to analyze the interactive effects of landscape and soil properties with tillage treatment on corn yields. Disking (D), chiseling (C), and in‐row subsoiling/bedding (SB) tillage treatments were applied across a Norfolk‐Wagram (Typic and Arenic Paleudults) complex. Grain and stover yields and grain weights, were measured in 1984 and 1985. Deep tillage provided a 25% yield increase compared to disking both years. Of all soil‐related variables examined, in‐row curvature explained the most yield variability. Grain yields in concave plots were more sensitive to changes in curvature than those in convex plots. Landscape influence on yields was greatest in 1985, a year with severe early season drought. Yield components at footslope and deep linear slope positions were greater than those of the interfluve and shallow linear slope positions. At the footslope position in 1984, SB increased yields more than C, suggesting that SB promotes higher yields than C when soil moisture conditions are favorable. Shallow tillage (treatment D) was the most susceptible of the three tillage treatments to yield reductions at drought‐prone landscape positions.

COLLUVIAL SOIL PARENT MATERIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE RIDGE AND VALLEY PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA1

We studied seven soil pedons developed in colluvium and located at the base of four primary ridges in Pennsylvania. In these footslope positions much of the colluvium consists of an upper brown layer (UBn layer) overlying a buried red layer (Rd layer). Landforms present at the study areas indicate that the UBn layer accumulated as stone-banked solifluction lobes or benches that flowed over the Rd layer during a periglacial environment. The UBn layer has 10YR to 7.5YR hues, is generally 1 to 3 m thick, and can be separated into sublayers. The Rd layer has mostly 5YR hues and is 1 to 2+ m thick. The color of the Rd layer is related to weathering rather than lithology. Beneath the colluvium is a thin lower brown layer (LBn layer) of residuum over bedrock. These layers represent a distinctive parent material sequence for recent soil development. Recognizing the nature of this sequence leads to a better understanding of pedogenesis of these soils. Color, texture, and the distribution of rock fragments with depth reflect variations in the parent material. The lateral continuity of the layers allows proposal of a parent material stratigraphy for colluvium in these foot-slope positions in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province.

Interactions Among Vesicular‐Arbuscular Mycorrhizae, Soil, and Landscape Position

AbstractThe interrelationships among mycorrhizae, soil, and landscape position were investigated for a bahiagrass pasture (Paspalum notatum Flugge) in northern Florida. A significant effect of landscape position was found for spore number, root colonization, root length, the ratio of Acaulospora and Glomus to Gigaspora spores, and number of spores per centimeter of colonized root. Root colonization and propagule numbers were least in the most erosive positions (shoulder and backslope) of the landscape. This implied that the population density of vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) fungi may be reduced by soil erosion even if erosion is not severe enough to affect plant cover. The pattern of soils across the landscape influenced the distribution of genera of VAM fungi; soils in footslope positions had sandier surface textures as a consequence of erosional/depositional processes and favored higher populations of Gigaspora than of Acaulospora and Glomus.

Agricultural Erosion Indicated by 137Cs Redistribution: I. Levels and Distribution of 137Cs Activity in Soils

AbstractModern agricultural erosion was studied using 137Cs fallout as an indicator of erosion and sedimentation in the hilly margin of the Willamette Valley, Ore. Objectives of this phase of the study were (i) to identify areas most severely eroded over the period of fallout (since early 1954), and (ii) to identify areas that had been subject to net deposition over the same period.Along each of eight transects, sampling sites were selected in ridgetop, steep sideslope, and concave footslope positions. Also sampled were a single convex ridge shoulder, a high ridgetop, two alluvial fans, two floodplain sites, and two sites in an 8‐year‐old pond. Soil cores were collected at each site and analyzed by depth increment for 137Cs activity.Depth distribution patterns of 137Cs activity suggested that fallout 137Cs was retained in surface soils and was, therefore, a good tracer in erosion/sediment studies. Depositional sites tended to have overthickened 137Cs profiles and high total contents of 137Cs. Average total 137Cs activity in depositional sites was about 12 pCi/cm2.Sideslopes and ridgetops, with average total 137Cs activities of about 8 pCi/cm2, were indistinguishahle from each other. Failure to distinguish sideslopes from ridgetops based on 137Cs signature was attributed to (i) widespread runoff from these lands, (ii) damping effects of plowing and continuing input of fallout 137Cs, and (iii) an apparent lack of erosion severe enough to have depleted preferentially the 137Cs‐rich surface soils of sideslopes.

Transport of Resistance‐labeled Escherichia Coli Strains Through a Transition Between Two Soils in a Topographic Sequence

AbstractField experiments were conducted to determine the pathways and characteristics of bacterial transport through a saturated soil profile which represented a transition between the Steiwer (Ultic Haploxeroll) and Hazelair (Aquultic Haploxeroll) soil series and was located in a concave footslope position. Three separately distinguishable Escherichia coli strains were injected into three perforated horizontal lines installed upslope from the transition, and positioned in the A, B, and C horizons of the soil profile. Migration of the labeled strains was evaluated by collecting water samples from piezometers, sampling various depth zones in the soil, and placed in rows at various distances downslope. In addition, surface runoff samples were collected at the furthest upslope location of observed overland flow. Bacterial translocation patterns varied with depth of injection at the first sampling row downslope; however, as the bacteria penetrated into the transition zone, flow pathways converged and injection depth differences disappeared. Also, a transition from predominately matrix flow to predominately “pipe” flow was observed as the downslope flow of water was directed upward in the soil profile by hydraulic gradients and a restrictive clay layer. Translatory channel flow (“pipe” flow) demonstrated widespread influence through this transition and apparently large volumes of the water passing downslope were intercepted and conducted by these channels. This study provides the link joining results from previous reports and more completely describes septic‐system effluent migration on saturated hillslopes while additionally stressing the influence of pipe flow on hillslope hydrologic processes.

Soil Fertility and Crop Responses at Selected Landscape Positions1

AbstractA large part of the glacial drift plain of North Dakota is composed of sloping surfaces which are the result of late Wisconsin glaciation and post glacial erosion and sedimentation. The geologic processes of erosion and sedimentation affect soils, their properties, and crop response at various landscape positions. There is limited research data on the effect of landscape position on soil fertility levels and crop production. Knowledge of these relationships on a hillslope can aid in understanding crop growth at various landscape positions. The objectives of this research were to gain an understanding and insight into the occurrence and distribution of soils and their properties as they exist on the landscape in relation to crop responses.Soil properties measured with respect to landscape position were soluble salt content, inorganic C content, water table levels, and soil test levels of N, P, and K. The crop responses measured were emergence plant counts, plant height, maturity, and crop yield.Soil NO3‐N and extractable P levels were minimal at the shoulder position, where erosion activity was greatest and maximal at the toeslope where sedimentation and higher soil moisture contents were found. Minimum exchangeable K levels were found at the salt rim where electrical conductivity values were high.Initial plant populations were lowest at the salt rim located at the footslope position. Plant height was greatest at the backslope and least at the footslope. Lowest yields and highest grain moisture contents were found at the lowest landscape positions. Highest yields occurred at the backslope while lowest grain moisture contents were found at the shoulder position.Results of this study show that differences in plant responses to landscape position exist primarily because of changes in soils and their associated properties. Landscape position is helpful in identifying soil types which can aid in fertilizer management decisions.