STUDIES ON DIFFERENT SOIL AND MOISTURE CONSERVATION PRACTICES i f FOR MITIGATING MOISTURE STRESS | Soil and Water Conservation Methods The loss of soil and water under natural vegetation is the lowest. But lands must be cultivated and grown with crops to produce food. This can be done without much harm to the soil if proper | soil and water conservation methods are followed. Such methods. aim at encouraging water to infiltrate into the soil, reducé its velocity and check run off losses. ‘The most common soil and water conservation methods are A)" Management practice viz.) | 1) Tillage 2) Strip cropping. 3) Intercropping 4) Mix cropping 5) Mulching. 6) Crop rotation. 7) Contour cultivation, 8) Planting of grasses for stabilizing bunds, 9) Planting of trees and a forestation, 10) Cashew nut plantation, B) Mechanical practices such as boos 1)Contour Bunding 2) Compariment bunding 3) Graded bunding 4) Broad base terracing 5) Gully or nala control, 6) Bench terracing. 7) Control of stream and river banks. : + Soil and Water Conservation Method: a) Strip cropping: This consists of growing erosion permitting crops and erosion resisting crops in a alternate strips. The erosion permitting crops are coton, jowar, bajara. ete. whi tunoff water to flow freely within the rows.-The crosions resisting crops are mostly le groundnut. green pri soybean which spread and c it the soil which flows fi - Management Practices allow the mes like the soil and do not the strip allow runoff water to carry 1 erosion permitting lecting rops is caught by the alt uitable ley ime crop it should be seen thatthe maximum canopy opment of the crop coincide with the period of high intensity af intial Scanned with CamScannerbene si PeuUe UI LIEN LULENSILY OT raintall, b) Mulching : A mulch is natural or artificially applied layer of plant residues or other material on the surface of the soil with the object of moisture conservation, temperature control, prevention of surface compaction or crust formation, reduction of run off and erosion, improvement in soil structure and weed control. Artificial mulches of different kinds such as Jowar or bajara stubbles, stubbles, paddy straw or husk, sawdust etc, increase absorption of water and minimize evaporation. They also control run off and soil losses. ©) Rotation of crops: Rotation means growing a set of crops in a regular succession over the Same field within a specified period of time. Continuous growing of Jowar or bajara crop causes more erosion, butif followed by a legume crop viz, Hulga, Matki or gram which covers the soil is causes less erosion. Rotation also helps in removal of plant nutrients in a uniform way from future depth of soil and-in maintaining the fertility of the soil in dry fariniig region of Maharashtra adoption of gram-Jowar rotation not only helps in conservation of moisture but also in increasing the crop yields. 4) Contour cultivation: Tillage operations yiz., Ploughing, harrowing, sowing and Interculture should be done across the slope of land. This will help in creating obstructioi to the flow of water at every furrow, which acts like a small bund and results in uniform distribution of water. This helps more infiltration of water less run off and erusion, and gives bi cultivation done along the jer crop yield. Any lope and erosion and ill accelemie golly formation. moie run o: consequently permanent damage to land. ©) Planting of grasses for structures Th ving bund e sail mass is pengtiated bs) Grasse nil prevent soil erosion ant soit id improve soil and cles Scanned with CamScannerare enmeshed by the root system. Grasses should be grown on bunds which are not suitable for cultivation, both for checking erosion and providing pasture for cattle. Several grasses as well as. legumes were tried 6n bunds at the: Agricultural Research Station; Solapur which receives about 600 mm. of rainfall to see which of them, will withstand drought conditions, give maximum root growth end canopy coverage, and stabilize bunds effectively. It was observed that anjan planted with spacing of 15 x 15 cm., produced the highest quantity of roots, followed by marvel - 8, Rhodes, thin Napier, blue panic, and AnsalLegumes do not have many roots but produce better canopy within a short period, while grasses are under the process of establishment. Planting of Jegumes mixed with grasses is, therefore, advantageous in preventing soil erosion in initial stages, = : f) Planting of trees and forestation: Forests co} rve soil and water quite effectively. They not only obstruct the flow of Water. but the falling leaves provide organic matter which increases the water holding capacity of the soil. If tree planting is done in the planned manner in open areas, it will serve as good wind break and if done afong the banks of streams and rivers, it will regulate their flow. Farm forestry is another important aspect in soil and water conservation. The danger caused by deforestation has been only recently appreciated anda big plantatioh programme of hybrid eucalyptus. teak. casurina has been taken up by the Forest Departments in reserve forests, catchments areas of irrigation projects"and on Government waste lands Vanamahotsava is also observed every year in the early part of monsoon and millions of trees are planted by the public with the help of the staff of the Agricultural and Forest Departments local bodies like Zillah shad, Panchayat Samittee and Gram Panchayat What is however impovtant is to pay proper sion and take care for the planting of trees. Scanned with CamScannerB) Mechanical Measures:- | 1) Contour Bunding: It consist of construction of series of eciben bunds of suitable size along the contours. The spacing) between bunds, which is a function of vertical fan aimed at and the slope of watershed, is determined the nature. of soil and erodubility. The spacing should be such that there should be no in convenience to cultivation. The formula for vertical interval “$5 between two band ie, Visa t? can be represents where S = represents per cent slope and a” and 0” are constants. cepending, on soil and ‘rainfall characteristics, 305 f Low rainfall areas: Vi="3 °° Medium rainfall and high rainfall areas = VI=""3 The slide slope are fixed considering angle ofyesponse of soil guard ayainst slipping. The top seidih is to keep of bund and may om 30 to 60 ei. the contour bunds Scanned with CamScanner~ 8). Bench terracing:- Bench terracing is practiced in sleep slopes, Terrace is a combination of ridge and channel built across the slope on a controlled grade. Bench teracing cones of _Hansforming relatively steep land into series of level strips to reduce slope and erosion the field is made into a series of benches of excavating soil from upper part in the lower part of terraces. Itis normally practi t ee ‘Type of terraces for Aype Gy 1) Level and table top in 16-33 percent of slope. different soil and rainfall condi in \)Suitable = : Area receiving medium: rainfall (750mm) of even ion wi etmeable deep soils R a with permeable 2) Slopping outwards 3) Stopping inwards ©) Gully or nala contr and further destruction grass and trees. Suitable) dams, drop structures ate paddy fields. So.far 174 _ period is 2005. Scanned with CamScanner