Interventions on Soil Erosion and Loss of Plant Nutrients

This book presents soil, water and nutrient conservation based on experiments conducted at different agro-ecological sites in the middle hills of Nepal. Sloping bari land cultivation system and low to medium rainfall , where farmers have adopted a maize-based cropping system occurred some erosive rain fall events and a heavy soil loss. Bench terracing cultivation system and high rainfall areas where main cropping systems were maize/millet, maize/wheat or barley and citrus orchards at medium rainfall areas lost higher amount of soil from narrow-terraces than the wide terraces. Ginger strip with mulch or legume alternating with maize strips across the slope reduced soil loss. Run-on diversion, grass planted in terrace risers reduced soil loss from bench terraces under high rainfall conditions. An inter crop of legume was found to reduce soil erosion in areas of medium rainfall and citrus cultivation. Organic carbon is the most important element lost in sediment. With low soil loss there was less loss of carbon, P and N in the sediment. However, there was a huge amount of NO3-N and K lost in leachate. Dissolved N, P and K were not lost in significant quantities in runoff.