Tillage Practices and Vegetative Barrier in Realation to Soil and Water Conservation in Alfisols of southern India

摘要

Field experimetns were conducted uder rainfed conditions during rainy seasons of 1993 and 1994 on a 2.5 percent slopey Alfisol to study the effect of low cost technologies involving tillage practices and vegetative (Vetiver-Vetiveria zizanioides) barrier along with contour cultivation on soil and water conservation under castor crop. Vetiver grass planted on contours in June, 1988, at 1 m vertical drop which formed a dense continuous hedge was used as vegetative barrier in the study. Six treatments, viz., sowing on contour (T_1), T_1 + vetiver (T_2), T_1 + dead furrows (T_3), T_3 + vetiver (T_4), T_2 + ridges and furrows (T_5) and sowing along the slope (T_6-control) were tested in a R.B.D. with four replications in plots of 210 m~2 (6 x 35 m). Runoff was measured using multislot device for each runoff event in each plot. Soil loss was estimated from the samples drawn from the runoff water collected. There were eight runoff events in each year.