Effect of various land configurations on soil charactersics, nutrient loss and peak discharge of stage hydrograph

Abstract

In order to study the various land configurations and the impact of soil and water conservation measures in terms of improving the in soil characterstics, soil nutrients and reduction in soil and nutrient losses, three land configurations were studied for soil-water management, viz., cultivation along the slope with opening of tide furrow (T 1 ), contour cultivation with opening of alternate furrow (T 2 ) and contour cultivation with opening of ridges and furrows (T 3 ). The present investigation revealed that the treatment T 3 was more prominent and favourably influenced the soil characterstics, soil nutriestsdue to the drastic change in the runoff hydrograph characteristics and reduction soil loss and nutrient losses, followed by treatment T 2 over the treatment T 1 . In the context of above results, it is concluded that the various land configurations measures is the need of day in rainfed agriculture for the management of erratic and vagarious rainfall and improving the in soil characterstics and soil nutrients under the changing climatic conditions. The runoff occurred in all the treatments were due to second storm only. While comparing the peak discharge among all the treatment, it was found that, the treatment T 1 had highest peak discharge 11.7 lps followed by treatment T 2 (10.7 lps) and treatment T 3 (2.03 lps). It was found that in treatment T 2 nitrogen (N) loss reduced from 21.82 kg ha to 2.4kg ha (i.e.89.00 %) over the treatment T 1 and in treatment T 3 it was reduced upto 0.59 kg ha (i.e. 95.46%) over T 1 .There was same trend was observed in case of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).