Soil conservation

Agronomic Measures

1. In the name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.

2. SOIL CONSERVATION Saad Farooqi CIIT/FA18-R07-004/ATD MS-ES Department of Environmental Sciences COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus

3. Introduction Management of soil Prevent the destruction of soil Soil can be conserved through Soil conservation strategies Agronomic measures of soil conservation 3

4. Agronomic Measures Crop rotation Land Preparation Contour Cultivation Choice of crops Strip cropping Cropping system Cover crops Mulching 4 Manure and Fertilizer Bench Terracing Vegetation Barriers Ridges and Furrows Wind Breaks Maintaining of Soil pH Salinity Management Soil organism

5. Cont.. Crop rotation Different crops are planted after the other. Prevent the accumulation of pathogens. 5

6. Cont.. Land preparation Tillage influence intake of water. Deep ploughing or chiseling. Rough cloddy surface. 6

7. Cont.. Contour cultivation A line joining the points of equal elevation. Ploughing, sowing, inter-cultivation in slope. 7

8. Cont.. Choice of crops Row or tall growing crops is not a protective for conservation. i.e. Sorgham , Maize and Pearl Millet called permitting crops Growing crops Cowpea, ground nut, Green grams and Black Grams Protect soil are called erosion resisting crops. Minimizing the impact of rain drop. 8

9. Cont.. Strip cropping Ordinary crops are planted in form of relatively narrow strips across the land slope. In area where terraces are not practically feasible Check the surface runoff and infiltrate into the soil. Used in those areas where length of slope is not too longer. 9

10. Cont.. Cropping system Mono-cropping permitting crop lead to soil & water loss. Intercropping of permitting crops, resisting crops & rotation. Legumes like Alfalfa reduces soil loss even in 13% slope. 10

11. Cont.. Cover crops Good ground cover give protection to the land. Hold soluble nutrients which are lost by leaching. Addition of organic matter. Legumes, Horse grams, green gram, black gram provide better cover. 11

12. Cont.. Mulching Mulching of soil with available plant residues reduce soil loss considerably by protecting. Reduce the direct impact of raindrop on the soil. Reduce soil sediments carried with runoff. Plant residue cover of 30% is necessary to keep soil loss Reduce soil loss particularly in vertisols by increasing infiltration. 12

13. Cont.. Manure and Fertilizer Organic manures improve soil physical conditions. Reduce soil loss. Fertilizers improve vegetative canopy, which aid in erosion control. Soils with stable aggregates resist breakdown and thus resist erosion. 13

14. Cont.. Bench Terracing Terraces are made across the slope to reduce the slope length and erosion. Excavating soil from upper part and filling in the lower part. 14

15. Cont.. Vegetative barriers Row of closely planted grass or shrub. Velocity of runoff and retain the sediments Acting as barrier to runoff. Kobus Khus ( Vetiveria Zyzynoides ) recommended for this. 15

16. Cont.. Ridges and Furrows The field must be formed into ridges and furrows Furrows of 30-45 cm width and 15-20 cm height are formed across the slope. Runoff water safely when rainfall intensity is high and avoid water stagnation. 16

17. Cont.. Wind Breaks Trees act as wind barriers and prevent soil. Dense rows or stand of trees. Evergreen species are preferred. 17

18. Cont.. Maintaining the soil pH The measurement of soil’s acidity or alkalinity by soil pH level. Due to addition of basic or acidic pollutants. Salinity management Excessive salts in soil has harmful effects on plant. Lead to death of vegetation, causes soil erosion. Salinity management is important. 18

19. Cont.. Soil Organism Using beneficial soil organism like earth worm. Helps in aeration of soil and make macro nutrients. Thus soil become more fertile and porous. Microorganism play vital role. Nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Rhizobia produce ammonia in the exchange for carbohydrates. 19

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