Soil Conservation and

Management
 Importance of soil conservation

➢Soil conservation is crucial for mankind and civilization as it provides

us with everything we need, directly or indirectly.
➢To ensure a stable economy for both city and rural populations,
farmers must use and care for land wisely.
➢This means protecting the land from erosion and runoff to maintain
its productivity.
➢Good land reflects prosperity and is crucial for future farmers to
learn how to use land resources efficiently.
Soil Conservation
➢ is the wise used of land , especially with respect to erosion
control.
➢It is good sound agriculture with a view to the future
➢It is a maintenance and sometimes restoration of soil
productivity.
Soil erosion
➢Is the detachment and movement of soil or rock by water,
wind, ice or gravity.
 Mechanics of soil erosion
➢The most active agent of the soil erosion process in the Philippines
and other areas in the humid tropics is water.
➢The role of water in the process is detachment and transportation.
➢Water in the form of precipitation or rainfall and surface flow are
responsible in bringing about soil detachment and transportation.
➢ Soil materials cannot be moved or transported by water unless they
are dispersed or detached.
➢Soils are dispersed and detached mainly by falling raindrops. Surface
flow can also initiate dispersion or detachment.
➢Soils are moved or transported mainly by surface flow.
The mechanics of soil erosion involve three processes:

1. Detachment/dispersion of soil particles

2. Transport of suspended soil particles
3. Deposition of particles
Types of Soil Erosion

There are two main types of soil erosion. They are as follows:

1. Geologic erosion. It is the

process of smoothing down
the hills and mountains,
counteracting the great
upheavals of the earth's
crust. Geologic erosion
occurs as leaching, surface,
erosion, landslides, creep
and oxidation.

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=1326
Types of Soil Erosion
There are two main types of soil erosion. They are as follows:
2. Accelerated erosion. It is the removal of the topsoil either by the action of
water or by wind faster than the rates of soil formation. There are two forms of
accelerated erosion (water):
a. Sheet erosion. This is the most widespread
and probably the damaging form of soil
erosion. There is a uniform removal of thin
layer or "sheet" from a given area of land.
Normally, the soil is detached by the impact of
raindrops, not by flowing water. After this
process has been repeated many times, much
of the surface soil is gone and the farmer
grows his crops in the subsoil.
https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/manageme
nt/soil/erosion/types
Types of Soil Erosion
There are two main types of soil erosion. They are as follows:
2. Accelerated erosion. It is the removal of the topsoil either by the action of water or by
wind faster than the rates of soil formation. There are two forms of accelerated erosion
(water):

b. Channel erosion. In contrast to sheet

erosion, channel erosion occurs where
surface water has concentrated, so that a
large mass of water supplies the energy
both for detaching and transporting the soil.
Channel erosion exists as rill erosion, gully
erosion, and stream erosion.

USGS.gov
Types of Soil Erosion
b. Channel erosion. In contrast to sheet erosion, channel erosion occurs where surface water
has concentrated, so that a large mass of water supplies the energy both for detaching and
transporting the soil. Channel erosion exists as rill erosion, gully erosion, and stream erosion.

1. Rill erosion - is incipient gully erosion. It is

usually the result of water washing down
between rows of cultivated crops, that is
planted up and down the hill or in implement
marks and other slight irregularities of the
soil surface. If rill erosion continues only for a
short while, tillage operations may smooth
out the surface completely, so that the
resulting soil profile is identical to the one
that is damaged by sheet erosion.

https://geographypoint.com/20
Types of Soil Erosion
b. Channel erosion. In contrast to sheet erosion, channel erosion occurs where surface
water has concentrated, so that a large mass of water supplies the energy both for
detaching and transporting the soil. Channel erosion exists as rill erosion, gully erosion,
and stream erosion.

2. Gully erosion - is channel erosion

that washes so deep into the subsoil
that the ground cannot easily be
smoothed out by ordinary tillage tools.
Gully erosion is sometimes known as
advance stage of rill erosion.

USDA Natural Resource Conservation)

Types of Soil Erosion
b. Channel erosion. In contrast to sheet erosion, channel erosion occurs where surface water
has concentrated, so that a large mass of water supplies the energy both for detaching and
transporting the soil. Channel erosion exists as rill erosion, gully erosion, and stream erosion.

3. Stream erosion - is the

carrying off of the soil
material on the sides and
on the bed of a permanent
or intermittent stream.

https://conservationdistrict.org/
Factors affecting soil erosion

Factor promoting soil erosion are:

1. Climate
a. Rainfall intensity
b. Rainfall erosivity
➢ The amount, intensity and duration of rainfall have the
profound effect on the amount and rate of the resultant
runoff.
➢ More rain goes with more erosion and less rain goes with
less erosion.
Factors affecting soil erosion
Factor promoting soil erosion are:
2. Vegetation
➢The role of plant life in the soil and water conservation is one of
transcending importance and is manifested in at least nine
different aspects:
a. Direct dispersion, interception and evaporation of falling raindrops by
the foliage of trees, grasses and shrubs.
b. Transpiration through the body tissues and leaves of vast quantities of
moisture from the sub soil back to the air.
c. Protective shield afforded by close- growing grasses and cover crops
against the direct impact of rainfall.
d. Knitting and binding effect of the root system in surface layer of soil.

e. Penetration of the roots through the soil profile, which upon decay leave
numerous tubular cavities to promote infiltration.
f. Improvement of soil structure by addition of organic matter, increase
absorption and keeps the soil in condition to support vigorous growth.

g. Increased surface friction reduces volume of runoff and reduces velocity

of remainder.
h. Surface friction tends to keep water spread out laterally and thus delay
the rate of concentration in tributary drainage ways.

i. Entrance of air is facilitated by adding humus to the soil and the more
favorable environment is created for the activity of beneficial bacteria.
Factors affecting soil erosion
Factor promoting soil erosion are:
3. Soil conditions
a. Slope (degree and length)
➢Slope affects runoff by imparting velocity in accordance with well-known
law of falling bodies as modified by environmental conditions.
➢It is apparent the steeper the slope, other things being equal, the less
time there will be for absorption and the faster the runoff will flow.
➢Soil losses increases gradually to a 4% slope, then increase rapidly
between 7 and 8 percent, beyond which the rate of increase is still more
rapid
Factors affecting soil erosion

Factor promoting soil erosion are:

3. Soil conditions
a. Slope (degree and length)
➢Both the size and shape of the water shade area affect the amount
of runoff at a given point and on hillsides, the length of the slope is
more important than the width.
➢Land slopes can not directly changed but can be modified on their
effect on runoff by the use traverse channels of terraces.
b. Soil erodibility
➢It indicates the soil’s inherent susceptibility to, erosion which is
influenced by infiltration capacity and structural stability of the soil.
Factors affecting soil erosion
Factor promoting soil erosion are:
4. Management (land use)
➢Soil erosion is an accelerated process that commences the moment
man cultivates the soil. Because of the removal of the protective cover,
the process of detachment and transportation of the soil body proceeds
more rapidly than soil formation.
➢The destructive and harmful nature of soil erosion process came about
because of the activities of man directed towards the acquisition of
materials goods not only for the things that are essentials for life but
also for the things that are non- essentials.
 Farm practices contributing to soil erosion
a. Kaingin system of farming
b. Monoculture system
c. Overgrazing
d. Plowing along the slope of the farm
e. Burning
f. Logging
g. Other practices such as; road construction, area development for
housing and resettlement.
 Methods of soil erosion control
➢To sustain the productivity of the agricultural land, effective soil
conservation must be instituted.
➢Effective soil conservation range from low capital, simple methods to
complicated engineering procedures requiring huge amount of investment
➢Methods such as bench terracing and construction of concrete check dams
are for the multinational farms and may be not realistic for small farmers.

➢The guiding principle in conservation farming is the effective prevention

and control of soil erosion and adequate conservation of rainfall in the field,
on a farm or ranch, over a watershed, or on any other unit or parcel of land.
Methods of soil erosion control

➢It requires the use and treatment of all the various kind of land
comprising that area in accordance with the individual needs and
adaptability of each different area having any important extent.
➢The real objective of conservation farming is to have the farmers make
a creditable living for himself and his family, and at the same time treat
his land in such a way to assure continued economical production.
Universal soil loss equation for predicting soil erosion

➢The universal soil loss equation (USLE) is widely used to

predict the severity of erosion from farm fields.
➢It is universal because the six factors are sufficient to
describe the process. It is given as:
A= RKLSCP
 A= RKLSCP
Where:
A – is the long-term average annual soil loss for a location
R – is the long-term average rainfall-runoff erosivity factor
K – is a soil erodibility index
L – is a slope length factor
S – is a slope angle factor
C – is a soil cover factor
P – is an erosion control practice factor
 Other processes leading to soil deterioration

1. Leaching process
➢Leaching refers to the process by which soil nutrients are
washed down by the water from the root zone of the plant .
The extent of losses varies with the nutrient, soil
management and climate. Greatest loss usually occurs in
well-drained and coarse textured soil.
➢Leaching can be minimized through (1) timely addition of
organic matter and (2) proper timing and placement of
fertilizers.
 Other processes leading to soil deterioration

2. Nutrient removal through cropping

➢Plants utilize amount of nutrients from the soil for their
growth. The plant at maturity are harvested and sold. Thus,
the organic matter and the minerals that composed the
harvested part are taken away from the farm. The constant
removal from the soil of its fertility through the harvested part
will make the soil poor. This is the reason why when we do
not fertilize our crops, production will decrease year after
year.
Other processes leading to soil deterioration

3. Volatilization
➢One of the processes that contribute to the decline of the
level of fertility is volatilization process. This process bring
about the loss of nitrogen from the soil. Nitrogen in this
process escapes from the soil in the form of ammonia.
Volatilization is quite serious if fertilizer salts containing
ammonium nitrogen are placed on the surface of alkaline
soils.
The ills of soil erosion

➢Erosion not only damage the site on which it occurs but also has
detrimental effects off-site in the larger environment.
❑On-site ills of soil erosion. This refers to the effect of erosion
from the farm where it occurs. These are:
✓Loss of soil ✓Loss of seeds or seedlings
✓Loss of nutrient/ loss of fertility ✓Loss of applied fertilizer
✓Loss of organic matter ✓Decrease soil depth
The ills of soil erosion
❑Off-site ills of soil erosion. This refers to the adverse effects
of soil erosion downstream where soil sediments are deposited.
Thus include the following:
✓Siltation of irrigation dams
✓Siltation of irrigation canals
✓Siltation of paddy fields
✓Siltation of hydro-electric power dams
✓Reduce life span of reservoirs
✓Destruction of crops and animals downstream
✓ Destruction of infrastructure like bridges, roads and
buildings.
 Control of soil erosion
➢The high amount of soil erosion on cultivated sloping uplands in
the country implies the need for implementation of soil
conservation measures to attain sustainable agriculture in these
lands.
➢Strategies to minimize soil erosion involve the use of
conservation measures that can achieve one or a combination of
the following effects:
✓Dissipation of raindrop impact
✓Reduce the surface runoff velocities
 ✓Increase infiltration rates, and
✓Reduction of soil erodibility by enhancing soil properties that
resist erosive forces.
✓Trap of soil sediments

➢ An effective method should be able to reduce soil loss at or

below the allowable soil loss of 10 tons/ha/year on deep soils
➢ On shallow soils i.e. <50 cm true soil, the allowable soil loss is 2
tons/ha/year.
Control of soil erosion

1. Fertilization
➢Undoubtedly, this is the most effective methods of
maintaining soil fertility or raising the fertility level of the soil.
➢ The use of fertilizer promotes rapid vegetative growth of
plants and production of high fresh biomass, and high leaf
area index.
➢With high leaf area index, there is high aerial cover thereby
dissipating the impact of raindrops.
Control of soil erosion
2. Maintenance of vegetation/vegetative cover
a. Cover cropping
➢ This is the practice of growing a temporary vegetative cover of
fast growing annuals to protect bare soil with its dense growth.
b. Fallowing
➢ Using pasture legumes or just grass is also recommended
when an sloping area is left untilled to rejuvenate its natural
fertility.
➢ The legumes and grass covers serve to dissipate the energy of
raindrops thereby reducing the detachment of soil particles. It
also serves to reduce the velocity of runoff reducing its scouring
effect and entrainments of soil particles
3. Mulching
➢ This is the practice of spreading plant residues (leaves, stalks,
stovers, straws and roots) or other organic materials on the
ground between crop rows or around the base of fruits trees to
cover the surface of the soil during rainy months.
3. Mulching
➢ The use of plant residues as mulch in which the plants were
grown on that particular soil is In situ mulching.
➢ Mulch materials which was obtained from other areas is
called transported mulch.
➢ This method is effective in dissipating rain drop impact,
reduce entrainment and increase infiltration.
4. Physical barriers (mechanical methods) of erosion control.
➢ These methods include terracing, check dams, rock walling
and contouring or contour furrows.
5. Vegetative barriers (biological methods)
➢ These methods include the following: (1) alley cropping (2)
natural vegetative strips (NVS) and (3) strip cropping
6. Multiple cropping.
➢ It is the growing of several crop species on a piece of land in
spatial arrangement. In slopping lands where farmers grow
mostly row crops, corn can be grown sequentially. This scheme
reduce the impact of raindrops and transport of detached soil
particles.
➢ Another multiple cropping scheme is multi-storey cropping
which involved the growing of drops of different heights, and
rooting pattern, in the same field to optimize the used of
available sunlight, structural support, wind protection, shade,
moisture and nutrients.
➢ The upper storey often consist of multi-purpose tree or palm
species like coconut.
➢ The mid storey may consist of fruits trees as grafted mango,
coffee, cacao, banana and trees like Gliciridia (madre de
cacao) which is used as anchor of black pepper.
➢ Ground storey, such as low growing annuals like pineapple,
vegetable and root crops are used.
➢ In the Philippines, coconut is the most widely used crop
in a multi-storey cropping. Its wide spacing and narrow
leaflets allow the planting of other crops under them.
➢ This is very effective in controlling soil erosion because
there is almost complete aerial cover or ground cover
that dissipates raindrop impact that prevents detachment
of soil particles and increase infiltration capacity of the
soil.
Thank you so much