Land resources(1)

Land resources:
1. Uses
2. Causes
3. Soil erosion
4. Soil erosion types
5. Soil erosion control methods

1. LAND RESOURCES BY P.RAMESH RESEARCH SCHOLAR DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2. Land is most simply defined as “ the Solid portion of the Earth’s surface”. I t is a significant natural resource which plays an important role in the development of human society.

3. Uses of Land Resources: Land is used for Agriculture Land contains huge amount of Minerals It is also contains water in the form of underground water. Most of the animals have their habitat on land Land provides all the resources required to fulfils the basic needs of human civilization such as food ,cloth and shelter.

4. Land Degradation Land degradation is the temporary or permanent lowering of the productive capacity of land (UNEP, 1992 Causes of Land Degradation: Natural Causes: Heavy rains lead to the removal of topsoil making soil infertile and hence unsuitable for agriculture Natural disasters : Earthquake and floods can have considerable impact on land resources. High –speed winds : Winds of high intensity and storms are responsible for land degradation

5. Anthropogenic Causes: Mining: generates a lot of waste that destroys vegetation and disrupts water circulation over large tracts, causes land degradation Urbanization: The growing urbanization all over the world is major cause of concern Deforestation: The indiscriminate and uncontrolled removal of trees have led to the destruction of forests. Overgrazing: lowers soil quality and leads to land degradation Dams and Canals: Construction of large dams and canals are also responsible for loss of vegetation leading to land degradation. Fertilizers: Most of the chemical fertilizers used in modern Agriculture affect the productivity of soil and leads to land degradation

6. Soil Erosion Soil erosion is defined as the wearing away of top soil. Top soil is the top layer of soil and is the most fertile. It contains the most organic, Nutrient rich materials. Soil erosion refers to the removal of topsoil from its resting place by various physical agencies such as wind and water.

7. Causes of Soil erosion; Water induced soil erosion: Sheet erosion: Uniform removal of a thin layer of soil from a large surface area. This is usually due to run-off water Rill erosion: rapidly running water produces finger shaped grooves or rills over the area

8. Gully erosion: when the rain fall is very heavy , deeper cavities or gullies are formed, which may be U or V shaped. Slip erosion: occurs due to heavy rainfall on slopes of hills and mountains. Bank erosion: fast running streams take a turn in some other direction, they cut the soil and make caves in the banks.

9. . Soil Conservation : It is extremely difficult for humans to control the natural factors of soil erosion. Till farming: No-till farming (also called zero tillage or direct drilling) is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage . Mulching : Mulches are materials placed over the soil surface to maintain moisture and improve soil conditions.

10. Contour farming : crops are grown in rows across, rather than up and down, a practice known as contour farming. Terracing: hilly areas and involves plantation of crops, it helps water harvesting at the same time. Strip cropping: Strip cropping or strip farming is defined as alternating crop rows between heavy-rooted plants and loosely-rooted plants to minimize erosion.

11. A forestation Check Dams Stop over grazing