Abstract

One of the main factors for the present set-back in crop production is soil erosion. Our country is one among the many where soil erosion has become a menace in recent years. As far as our own State is concerned, erosion is certainly doing great havoc though it is insidious, particularly in regions subjected to the effects of monsoonic rains. The rapid drain on soil fertility caused by erosion would not be so alarming if the lost plant food could be replaced by the application of fertilisers. But the trouble is that erosion not only removes the plant food materials but carries away the soil itself. When the fine top soil is removed, along with it are removed all the humus, the micro-organisms and the fine clay and silt material essential for the proper retention of soil moisture. The physical and chemical nature of the soil is changed, affecting the water holding capacity, the underground drainage, and the underground water supply etc. to the detriment of crop growth.

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