What is the meaning of contour farming?

What is the meaning of contour farming?

contour farming, the practice of tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion.

What is contour system of planting?

Contour system: The contour is an imaginary line connecting the points of equal height on a slope. This system has been evolved for the planting of fruit trees on hilly and slopes topography with the objective to minimize the soil erosion. The trees are planted on the bench terrace prepared on the contour.

What are the types of contour farming?

• Mulch farming. Mulch is a layer of crop residue placed on the soil surface.
• Conservation tillage. Soil structure is extremely prone to intense tropical rains and harsh climate.
• Strip cropping.
• Contour farming.
• Cover crops.
• Vegetative hedges or strips.

What is an example of contour farming?

Contour farming is farming with row patterns that run nearly level around the hill — not up and down the hill. Contour stripcropping is crop rotation and contouring combined in equal-width strips of corn or soybeans planted on the contour and alternated with strips of oats, grasses, or legumes.

What is Ploughing along the contour lines?

Contour ploughing is the farming practice of plowing and/or planting across a slope following its elevation contour lines. These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of rills and gullies during times of heavy water run-off; which is a major cause of soil erosion.

Why is contour farming used?

Contour farming can reduce soil erosion by as much as 50 percent compared to up and down hill farming. By reducing sediment and runoff and increasing water infiltration, contouring promotes better water quality.

Where does contour farming occur?

According to NRCS, contour farming is generally used on sloping land where tillage, planting, and cultivation are used to grow annual crops. In a properly designed contour farming system the tillage furrows intercept runoff and allow more moisture to infiltrate into the soil.

What is contour in geography?

Definition: Contours are a collection of lines found on maps that show mountains, valleys and landforms. Contours are measured from sea level. Contours can be used to understand the map and to know where land will be steep or flat.

When crops are planted in parallel strips across slope it is called?

Strip cropping involves planting crops in strips across the slope, with alternate strips of grain and/or forage crops. Strip cropping is also a kind of agronomical practice in which ordinary crops are planted / grown in form of relatively narrow strips (6 to 10) across the land slope.

How does contour farming help with soil erosion?

Contour cultivation (contour farming, contour plowing, or contour bunding) is a sustainable way of farming where farmers plant crops across or perpendicular to slopes to follow the contours of a slope of a field. This arrangement of plants breaks up the flow of water and makes it harder for soil erosion to occur. How Does Contour Farming Work?

What is the meaning of contour plowing in farming?

Contour plowing or contour farming or Contour ploughing is the farming practice of plowing and or planting across a slope following its elevation contour lines.

How is contour gardening used to minimize irrigation?

For this technique, crops are planted across a slope following the natural elevation contour lines, rather than up and down the hill. When planted along the natural curve of the land, gullies and soil erosion are reduced. In this way, water and nutrients can more easily infiltrate the soil, minimizing irrigation and fertilization needs.

What is strip cropping and what is contour farming?

Strip cropping is a type of contour farming where farmers plant different crops in alternating strips of different levels.