Measures to control water erosion

1. Strip cropping:

• This refers to the growing of alternate strips of close-growing and erect-growing crops. This helps check water erosion.
• The strips are laid across the slope. Strips of close-growing crops reduce the transporting and eroding power of water by forming obstructions to runoff filtering out the soil from the runoff and retaining it in the field.

2. Contour cultivation:

• Contour refers to a line drawn through points of equal heights on the ground. These are suitable on land with a slope of less than 5-6%.
• Each row of the crop, each bund, each ridge of plow and furrow act as an obstruction to runoff,
• Provide a more opportune time for water to enter into the soil and reduce soil loss.

3.Conservation tillage:

• Conservation tillage is disturbing the soil to the minimum extent necessary and leaving crop residues on the soil.
• Conservation tillage system includes minimum and zero tillage, which can reduce soil loss.
• While the conventional tillage includes plowing twice or thrice followed by harrowing and
• It leaves no land unploughed and leaves no residue on the field. The chances of soil loss by conventional tillage are more than 50% over conservation tillage.

4. Mulching:

• Mulches can cover more soil surfaces and protect the soil from raindrop impact.
• By increasing the amount of mulch, the sediment present in runoff water can also be reduced.
• Mulching with plant materials reduces soil loss up to 43 times compared to bare soil and 17 times compared to cropped soil without mulches.

5. Cropping system:

• Growing a crop that produces the maximum cover, reduces runoff and soil loss.
• Cowpea and green gram are important cover crops for the rainy season.
• These crops give early and dense (85%) ground cover which generally coincides with peak rate of runoff.
• In multiple cropping systems where the soil is covered with crops throughout the year there may be runoff but soil loss is minimal as the falling raindrops are intercepted by the crop.

6. Use of chemicals:

• Soils with stable aggregates resist breakdown and thus resist erosion.
• The breakdown of aggregates by falling raindrops is the main cause of detachment of soil particles.
• Aggregate stability can be increased by spraying chemicals like Polyvinyl alcohol @ 480 kg/ha, the rate however, depends on the type of soil.