Correct Option
The practices of crop rotation, terracing, and wind breaks are widely recognized and implemented methods for soil conservation in India.
- Crop rotation: This practice involves growing different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. It helps in maintaining soil fertility, improving soil structure, controlling pests and diseases, and reducing the depletion of specific nutrients, thereby preventing soil degradation.
- Terracing: This method is particularly effective in hilly and mountainous regions. It involves cutting steps or flat platforms into the slopes, which reduces the velocity of surface runoff, prevents soil erosion by water, and facilitates cultivation on steep gradients.
- Wind breaks: These are rows of trees or shrubs planted to protect agricultural fields from the damaging effects of wind. They reduce wind speed, thereby minimizing wind erosion, preventing the loss of topsoil, and protecting crops from strong winds, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.
Incorrect Options
- Sand fences: While sand fences are used for stabilizing sand dunes, particularly in coastal or desert areas, and for controlling sand movement, they are not typically considered a primary or widespread method for general soil conservation in agricultural lands across India. Their application is specific to dune management rather than enhancing soil productivity or preventing erosion in cultivated fields.
- Options (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect as they include sand fences, which are not classified as a conventional or major soil conservation practice for agricultural purposes in India.