Contour ploughing
Explanation
Soil conservation refers to the prevention of soil loss from erosion or reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization, or other chemical soil contamination. Various agricultural techniques are employed to mitigate soil erosion, particularly on slopes where water runoff is a significant factor.
Analysis of the Options:
- Terrace farming Terrace Farming: This method involves cutting out broad flat steps or terraces on steep slopes to create flat surfaces for growing crops. While effective for reducing surface runoff and erosion, it involves structural modification of the slope into steps, rather than just ploughing patterns.
- Contour barriers Contour Barriers: This involves using stones, grass, or soil to build physical barriers along contours. Trenches are typically dug in front of the barriers to collect water. This is distinct from the act of ploughing.
- Contour ploughing Contour Ploughing: This refers specifically to the practice of ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope rather than up and down. This creates a natural barrier that decelerates the flow of water down the slope, allowing more time for infiltration and reducing soil erosion.
- Shelter belts Shelter Belts: This method involves planting rows of trees to check wind movement. It is primarily used in coastal and dry regions to protect soil cover from wind erosion, not water flow on hill slopes.
Key Takeaway: Contour ploughing is a tillage practice aligned with the topography of the land to reduce water velocity, whereas terrace farming involves physically altering the slope into stepped levels.