How does slope affect agriculture?
Inhibitory effects of crops on slope runoff rate and sediment yield were enhanced with crop growth and decreased with increasing slope gradient. Crop growth and coverage could offset the impact of increasing slope gradient on runoff and sediment to some extent and reduced water and soil loss on slopes.
What can farmers do to make sloping land good for crop production?
The best protection for the soil on any slope would be to plant a good crop of grass on the hillside with plenty of strong roots growing down into the soil. If your hillside could be like that, you know that the rain, no matter how much there is, just couldn’t get at the soil to wash it away.
Can you farm on a slope?
Long, smooth, even slopes speed up runoff water. Then plant your crops across the slope or “on the contour”. This allows you to do all the land preparation, planting, and harvesting across the slope. Farming across the slope helps to shorten slope lengths, slowing down runoff water so it can soak into the soil.
What is the importance of slope in plant production?
Slope aspect is known to affect the diversity and density of plant communities. Sunny slopes retain less moisture because of stronger solar radiation and higher evaporation. Therefore, plants on sunny slopes, such as grasses, are more likely to be drought- and radiation-resistant.
What is the slope of coordinates?
The slope of a line characterizes the direction of a line. To find the slope, you divide the difference of the y-coordinates of 2 points on a line by the difference of the x-coordinates of those same 2 points.
What is the most effective agent of erosion?
Water
Water is the most efficient and effective agent for erosion. Erosion by water commonly occurs in two different geologic settings: 1. Coastlines – erosion that occurs on coastlines is due to the action of ocean currents, waves, and tides.
Which type of farming is used in case of a very steep slope?
Terrace cultivation, method of growing crops on sides of hills or mountains by planting on graduated terraces built into the slope. Though labour-intensive, the method has been employed effectively to maximize arable land area in variable terrains and to reduce soil erosion and water loss.
What are very high and they have steep slopes with very little flat land on them?
A plateau is an elevated flat land. It is a flat-topped table land standing above the surrounding area. A plateau may have one or more sides with steep slopes. The height of plateaus often varies from few hundred metres to several thousand metres.
What should I farm on a hill?
Plantations like tea, banana, and coconut will thrive on your hillside garden. If your land has a steep slope, terrace farming will serve the purpose. Building terraces will reduce soil erosion and surface runoff that would otherwise be experienced downhill.
Are hills good for farming?
Terracing of hillsides in farming reduces erosion because terraces reduce the flow rate of water down the hill. Furrows running down slope can easily transform into erosion gullies. Terrace farming has been all over the world and for thousands of years.
What is a gentle slope?
adjective. A gentle slope or curve is not steep or severe.
What is the formula to calculate slope?
The slope equals the rise divided by the run: Slope =riserun Slope = rise run . You can determine the slope of a line from its graph by looking at the rise and run.
What is a positive slope?
A positive slope means that two variables are positively related—that is, when x increases, so does y, and when x decreases, y decreases also. Graphically, a positive slope means that as a line on the line graph moves from left to right, the line rises.
What are 5 erosion agents?
Water, wind, ice, and waves are the agents of erosion that wear away at the surface of the Earth.
What are the 3 agents of erosion?
The agents of soil erosion are the same as the agents of all types of erosion: water, wind, ice, or gravity.
What are the 4 methods of soil conservation?
Soil conservation practices are tools the farmer can use to prevent soil degradation and build organic matter. These practices include: crop rotation, reduced tillage, mulching, cover cropping and cross-slope farming. farmers to increase soil organic matter content, soil structure and rooting depth.
What are 3 types of plateaus?
Types of Plateaus.
What are steeper slopes?
Hint: Steeper slopes means the slope that is closer to the vertical axis, or larger angle with the horizontal axis. The smaller area where the species -area relationship is similar to the taxonomic group, whereas whnethe analysis is done in larger areas, the slope is steeper.
How does no till farming work?
No-till method of farming requires special equipment (disc seeders or agriculture drills) to make furrows, immediately plant seeds, firm them, and cover (unlike double-passing the field after plowing). This way, the soil suffers from minimum disturbance, as it is dug exactly where the seed is supposed to drop.
Which farming is carried out on the hill slopes?
How does slope affect soil erosion?
Angle of the slope Steep slopes have a greater impact on soil composition than surfaces with a slight slant. The minerals and organic content present in the soil moves down toward the slope, due to heavy rainfall. Soil erosion is experienced higher in slope with less vegetation.
What are the four slope elements?
Characteristics of the slope elements: crest, cliff, talus and pediment.
What is farming done on cut hill slopes called?
Farming which is done on cut hill slopes is known as Terrace farming.
What slope has the highest erosion rate?
24-81% larger than on southern slopes. Upper and middle hillslope positions usually had higher erosion rates than lower positions. The greatest erosion rates were at upper positions on northern slopes, and upper positions on south slopes had relatively lower erosion rates.
Why do farmers turn the soil over before planting?
Turning the soil over not only mixes this organic matter, but it also increases oxygen in the soil which speeds up decomposition of the organic matter and makes more oxygen available for the plant roots. One problem that farmers face is weeds in their field. Weeds compete with the planted crop for water and essential nutrients.
Why do farmers plant their crops without plowing?
For this reason many farmers chose to plant their fields using no-till technology in which last year’s organic matter is left on the surface and seeds are drilled directly into soil without plowing. The organic matter from previous years helps hold the soil in place.
How does the slope of a slope affect the soil?
Although a slope may have a gentle angle, a long length will also affect the soil. Water running down the slope during a storm gains energy as it continues to move from the earth’s gravitational pull; water pulls more soil from the slope as it gains momentum.
What happens if you plant your crops too late?
However, if for some reason they sow their crops too late, the soil will be left without cover during the first months of the rainy season and will behave like that on bare plots. Erosion on a late-sown plot is thus roughly 80% that of a bare plot.
Is it bad for crops to grow on a slope?
Depending on when it comes and how it comes, it can be very good for you—or very bad for you. Your crops need water to grow, but if your land has a steep slope, the water may run away from your crops and down the hill before it can help them much.
Turning the soil over not only mixes this organic matter, but it also increases oxygen in the soil which speeds up decomposition of the organic matter and makes more oxygen available for the plant roots. One problem that farmers face is weeds in their field. Weeds compete with the planted crop for water and essential nutrients.
Why are farmers prevented from planting their crops?
“We know these are challenging times for farmers, and we have worked to improve flexibility of our programs to assist producers prevented from planting.” USDA supported planting of cover crops on fields where farmers were not able to plant because of their benefits in preventing soil erosion, protecting water quality and boosting soil health.
For this reason many farmers chose to plant their fields using no-till technology in which last year’s organic matter is left on the surface and seeds are drilled directly into soil without plowing. The organic matter from previous years helps hold the soil in place.