How does contour plowing reduce erosion?

How does contour plowing reduce erosion?

Contouring means farming with row patterns nearly level around a hill – not up and down hill. The rows form hundreds of small dams that slow water flow and increase infiltration to reduce erosion.

Why is contour plowing so effective at preventing erosion?

Contour plowing was a method of plowing furrows that follow the curves of the land rather than straight up and down slopes. Furrows that run up and down a slope form a channel that can quickly carry away seeds and topsoil. Contour plowing forms ridges, slows the water flow and helps save precious topsoil.

What does contour plowing prevent?

One of the earliest methods of conservation tillage came to be known as contour plowing, or plowing on the contour. Tilling the soil along the gentle slopes of a piece of cropland, instead of up and down the gradient, prevents fertile topsoil from being carried downhill by flowing rainwater.

How does plowing affect erosion?

Traditional plowing leads to soil loss. Plowing disturbs bacteria, fungi, and animals that make soils naturally fertile, and it releases the carbon stored in soil organic matter to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. It also raises the risk of erosion, which moves fertile farm soil into bodies of water.

How does contour farming helps in conserving the soil?

“Double hedgerows of leguminous trees and shrubs between land strips prevent soil erosion and maintain water flows.” Using the SALT system, when a hedge is 1.5 to two meters tall, it is cut back to a height of 40 centimeters and the cuttings are placed in the strips between contour alleys to serve as organic fertilizer …

How do farmers use contour farming to prevent soil erosion?

By combining both the land preparation and the planting along the contours, small contour ridges are shaped. These, together with the planted crop, serve as obstacles, causing slight flooding and will thus increase the infiltration of the water into the soil and reduce the erosion (Table 2).

What are the benefits of contour plowing?

Contour Farming

• Contouring can reduce soil erosion by as much as 50% from up and down hill farming.
• By reducing sediment and runoff, and increasing water infiltration, contouring promotes better water quality.

How does plowing increase the rate of soil erosion?

Plowing turns over bare soil and cuts through plant roots. Bare soil is exposed to wind and water. The soil that is most likely to erode is the nutrient-rich topsoil. The loss of topsoil degrades the farmland.

How does contour farming help in soil conservation?

contour farming, the practice of tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion. Contour farming can help absorb the impact of heavy rains, which in straight-line planting often wash away topsoil.

What is the importance of contour farming?

Farming across the slope helps to shorten slope lengths, slowing down runoff water so it can soak into the soil. Contour farming slows water down and lets it soak into the soil. Combine contour farming with cover cropping and other conservation practices for more soil fertility and slope protection.

What are the disadvantages of contour farming?

Drawbacks to contour plowing have caused it to be less widely used than conventional tillage methods. Some farmers may not have been fully aware of erosion damage and prevention. Lack of access to equipment, funding, or training sometimes take their toll.

How does contour plowing conserve soil?

Contour plowing/ploughing conserves soil by following the lay of the land and creating ridges that form a water break to prevent soil erosion. Furrows that do not follow the lay of the land cause rapid runoff during rainfall by forming a convenient channel for the water to flow downhill.

What is soil conservation?

Wikipedia defines soil conservation as, “Soil conservation is the prevention of soil loss from erosion or reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification , salinization or other chemical soil contamination.