Assessing Effectiveness of Soil and Water Conservation Practices by EPIC model

Not AvailableCrop production in drylands is subject to the vagaries of monsoon. Agricultural droughts are common in drylands. Soils of shallow depth, low fertility, poor water holding capacity and the resultant soil moisture stress during crop growth are some of the major constraints. Integrated Watershed management is being recommended for improving the productivity of drylands. Activities aimed at conserving the natural resources, particularly soil and water, and their judicious development and utilisation form the backbone of the watershed programmes. As a part of better land management, several land treatments such as contour farming tied ridging, broad bed and furrows are being suggested for erosion control and rain water conservation. The utility of such measures in terms of soil water availability to crops will depend on a number of factors. Additional retention of water in the soil profile will depend on the antecedent soil moisture condition, amount of rainfall infiltration and seepage/percolation losses besides the water holding capacity of the soil (Padmanabhan et al, 1999). The utility of such practices will also depend on the frequency of runoff events as well as the quantum of runoff, which we are trying to control through such practices. The results of a study made earlier to understand the relative usefulness of retaining varying levels of runoff in an Alfisol watershed through simulation of hydrologic parameters, soil loss and crop yield over a period of ten years are presented.Not Availabl