Soil conservation is the preventing of soil loss from erosion or reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination.

1. SOIL MOISTURE
CONSERVATION
TECHNIQUES
Ihtisham Ali
(328)

2. INTRODUCTION
•Soil and water are two important natural resources
and the basic needs for agricultural production
•Agricultural production to feed the increasing
production is only possible if there is sufficient
fertile land and water available for farming
•The total geographical area of Pakistan is 79.61 million
hectares of which only 25 % or 19.82 million
hectares are currently under cultivation
•That’s why soil and water should be given first priority
from the conservation point of view and appropriate
methods should be used to ensure their
sustainability and future use

3. • Earlier efforts for moisture conservation were
concentrated upon construction of various
types of bunds across the land slope to control
erosion and conserve soil.
• All the water erosion control measures however,
led to accumulation of water against the
structures rather than its proper and uniform
distribution in the interterraced area and at times
led to reduction in crop yields.
• Moisture conservation practices are given below:

4. i) Conservation tillage: Conservation tillage
reducing or, in extreme cases, completely eliminating
the tillage to maintain healthy soil organic levels which
increases the soils capacity to absorb and retain water.
Conservation tillage is a specific type of such approach
where crop residue is left on the soil to reduce evapo-
transpiration, and protect soil surface from wind, sun
and heavy rain impacts

5. ii) Mulching: Mulch is a layer of organic (or
inorganic) material that is placed on the root zone of
the plants. Examples of mulch materials include straw,
wood chips, peat. Inorganic mulch in form of plastic
sheeting is also used. Mulching is most suited for low
to medium rainfall areas, and less suited for areas with
very wet conditions.

6. iii) Crop rotation: Crop rotation is growing
different types of crops every season helps improve soil
structure and thus water holding capacity. Examples
include rotating deep-rooted and shallow rooted crops
that make use of previously unused soil moisture, as
plants draw water from different depth levels within the
soil. Crop rotation may also improve soil fertility and help
control pests and diseases.

7. iv) Green manuring: Green manuring is growing
of plant materials with the sole purpose of adding to
the soil for improved organic matter and nutrients.
The improved soil quality then also improves water
retention capacity

8. v) Deep tillage: it is suited for some areas and soils,
deep tillage can help increase porosity and
permeability of the soil to increase its water absorption
capacity

9. vi) Compartmental bunding:
It means the entire field is divided into small compartments
with pre determined size to retain the rain water where it
falls and arrest soil erosion. The compartmental bunds are
formed using bund former. The size of the bunds depends
upon the slope of the land compartmental bunds provide
more opportunity time for water to infiltrate into the soil and
help in conserving soil moisture.

10. Advantages of compartmental
bunding
Conserves moisture
Suitable for lesser rainfall areas
Reduces the formation of cracks
It can be formed while ploughing itself or
before early sowing.

11. • The principle behind the recommendation of different
practices is to increase the infiltration by reducing the
rate of runoff, temporarily
Impounding the water on the surface of the soil to
increase the opportunity time for infiltration and
modifying the land configuration for inter plot water
harvesting.
Other soil moisture conservation techniques may
includes Mixed cropping and inter-planting, Contour
plantation, Strip cropping
Rainwater harvesting to minimize runoff and collect
water for use on site. For more technologies on this see
technology sheet Rainwater harvesting for infiltration.

12. References:
Agriiinfo, 2015: Soil And Water Conservation Methods -
Management Practices
FAO, 2003: Conservation Agriculture for Soil Moisture, Briefing
Notes - Production Systems Management
Hudson, N.W., 1987: Soil and Water Conservation in Semi-Arid
Areas, Issue 57, Volume 57 of Fao Soils Bulletin, Soil and water
conservation in semi-arid areas, Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, 1987
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSCA), 2011: Soil
Moisture Conservation Factsheet