Soil Erosion

 The basic principles in the control of wind erosion are breaking of wind velocity at the soil-atmosphere interface and the reduction in soil erodibility. A suitable surface soil texture is the best key to wind erosion protection. Properly managed crop residues carefully timed soil tillage, and accurately placed crop strips and crop barriers can all effectively reduce wind erosion. Proper land use and adaptation of adequate moisture conservation practices are the main tools that help in wind erosion control. Three basic methods can be used to control wind erosion: 1. Maintain Vegetative Cover (Vegetative Measures) 2. Roughen the Soil Surface by Tillage Practices (Tillage Practices or may be called Tillage Measures) 3. Mechanical or Structural Measures (Mechanical Measures) 1. Vegetative Measures  Vegetative measures can be used to roughen the whole surface and prevent any soil movement. The aim is to keep the soil rough and ridged to either prevent any movement initially or to qui...

 It is the detachment and transportation of soil particles by the forces generated by wind. Occurs on all types of soil but fine single grain particles are most susceptible. Wind erosion, in India, is commonly observed in arid and semi-arid areas where the precipitation is inadequate, e.g. Rajasthan and some parts of Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. About 13.5 Mha area representing 4.1% of TGA of the country is affected by wind erosion. Mechanisms of Wind Erosion Wind erosion means detachment and transportation of soil particles by the forces generated by wind. The intensity of wind erosion varies with surface roughness, slope, and types of cover on the soil surface and wind velocity, duration, and angle of incidence. It can occur on all types of soil but fine single grain particles are most susceptible. The wind erosion process can be divided into three simple but distinct phases, 1. Initiation of Movement/Detachment: The lifting and abrasive action of the wind results in the detachm...

 Gully erosion is an advanced stage of rill erosion. It is a process where surface (or subsurface) water concentrates in narrow flow paths and removes the soil resulting in incised channels that are too large to be destroyed by normal tillage operations. Although gully erosion is a natural process, it is most often triggered or accelerated by human activities such as clearing vegetation and overstocking. The gully development is recognized in four stages:  Formation Stage: Scouring of topsoil in the direction of general slope occurs as the runoff water concentrates. It normally proceeds slowly where the topsoil is fairly resistant to erosion.  Development Stage: Causes upstream movement of the gully head and enlargement of the gully in width and depth. The gully cuts to the C-horizon of soil, and the parent materials are removed rapidly as water flows.  Healing Stage: Vegetation starts growing in the gully.  Stabilization Stage: Gully reaches a stable gradient, gully walls atta...