Cost estimation of soil erosion and nutrient loss from a watershed of the Chotanagpur Plateau, India

Soil erosion is a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture in mountain regions of the world. The present study was conducted to assess overland flow, soil and subsequent nutrient loss from different land-use/land-cover in a watershed of Chotanagpur Plateau. It was observed that overland flo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current science (Bangalore) 2014-08, Vol.107 (4), p.670-674
Main Authors: Gulati, Aastha, Rai, S. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agrology
Carbon
Eroded soils
Fertilizers
Monsoons
Mountains
Nutrients
Orchard soils
Organic soils
Overland flow
Rain
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Sedimentary soils
Soil (material)
Soil erosion
Soil nutrients
Sustainability
Watersheds
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Summary:Soil erosion is a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture in mountain regions of the world. The present study was conducted to assess overland flow, soil and subsequent nutrient loss from different land-use/land-cover in a watershed of Chotanagpur Plateau. It was observed that overland flow was greatest in orchard (30.73%) and lowest in vegetable field (15.84%). Soil loss from the field plots ranged between 9 and 37 tonnes/ha during the monsoon months. Nutrient leaching was highest in paddy fields. A strong positive correlation was observed between organic carbon and soil loss (P < 0.01). On an average, 590 kg of macro-nutrients (N, P and K) were lost per hectare during the monsoon season. Approximately INR 8893 ha−1 (US$ 137 ha−1) would be required to replace this loss through inorganic fertilizers. Agricultural practices in mountain areas should be strengthened with more agroforestry components to promote conservation of soil, water and nutrients.
ISSN:0011-3891