Introduction to soil and water conservation

 1. Minimal mechanical soil disturbance Minimum soil disturbance provides/maintains optimum proportions of respiration gases in the rooting zone, moderate organic matter oxidation, porosity for water movement, retention, and release and limits the re-exposure of weed seeds and their germination 2. Permanent organic soil cover A permanent soil cover is important to protect the soil against the deleterious effects of exposure to rain and sun; to provide the micro and macro organisms in the soil with a constant supply of “food”; and alter the microclimate in the soil for optimal growth and development of soil organisms, including plant roots. 3. Diversified crop rotations The rotation of crops is not only necessary to offer a diverse “diet” to the soil microorganisms, but also for exploring different soil layers for nutrients that have been leached to deeper layers that can be “recycled” by the crops in rotation. 4. Increasing infiltration capacity to reduce erosion and runoff 5. Impr...

 Soil and water are two important natural resources and the basic needs for agricultural production. During the last century, it has been observed that the pressure of increasing population has led to the degradation of these natural resources. In other words, an increase in agricultural production to feed the increasing population is only possible if there sufficient fertile land and water are available for farming. In India, out of 329 million hectares of geographical area, 68 million hectares are critically degraded while 107 million hectares are severely eroded. That's why soil and water should be given first priority from the conservation point of view and appropriate methods should be used to ensure their sustainability and future availability. Soil and water are critical natural resources that must be kept in harmony with the environment for agroecosystems to be sustainable.  As opposed to the productive process of soil cultivation, "soil conservation" is a reprodu...