CONSERVATION MEASURES

OF SOILS
The restoration and maintenance of capacity
productive soil, through measures
conservationists, it is the most important guide
to improve agricultural production. Once
the land protected with physical works, it must
start the recovery of capacity
productive through the application of
agronomic and mechanical measures or practices
Agronomic practices of
soil conservation
 TILLAGE
It refers to the mechanical manipulation of soils
in order to keep them in optimal conditions
for the development of crops. It is a practice
as old as agriculture itself.
Prepare the seedbed to promote its germination
and establishment.
Incorporate fertilizers and amendments.
Control weeds and combat pests.
Increase infiltration and root penetration.
Prepare the soil for practices such as irrigation and drainage
Erosion control
•
Most important types of tillage
1.1 Reduced tillage:
Decrease in the number of passes; the replacement of implements that deteriorate the soil more or
consumes more power from others with lesser impact on the soil.
•
1.2 Vertical tillage:
• Only tools designed for making vertical cuts in the ground are used with
chiseling plows.
•
1.3 Tillage over cover (mulch):
• Weed control operations and seedbed preparation in such a way that
they can maintain high levels of surface waste.

• 1.4 Zero tillage (direct seeding):

• It consists of the sowing of crops without seedbed preparation and without disturbing the soil.
except for what is necessary to place the seed.
•
1.5 Primary Tillage:
• It consists of using the subsoiler and then the plows.

• 1.6. Secondary Tillage: It consists of the use of harrows.

 2) ORGANIC FERTILIZERS:
• The incorporation of materials of origin
organic favors numerous properties
physical and chemical properties of the soil. The matter
organic is a relatively amendment
complete, that is to say, it contains amounts of
almost all the important elements for the
plant.
 2.1 Crop Residues:
• They are the parts of the plants that remain.
after the harvest. This material retains
a part of the nutrients extracted from the soil
and absorbed by the plant during its
development. Generally, waste has
a greater amount of fibrous material and a
smaller amount of green material, which
results in more carbon and less nitrogen,
factor that inhibits the rapid decomposition of
material.
 2.2 Vermiculture:
• The earthworm produces humus or fertilizer that is useful.
as a natural fertilizer and that are lost by
the use of chemical fertilizers and also, improvement
the soil conditions.
 3) CROP ROTATION:
• It is the succession of different crops, in cycles.
continuous, over a plot of land
determined
 Its main objectives are:
Achieve maximum land occupancy in
espacio y tiempo.
• Maintain permanent coverage and thus
reduce erosion risks.
Maintain and improve soil fertility.
Help prevent the occurrence of pests and
diseases.
Reduce the negative effects of climate.
Principles for good rotation
of crops:
1. Make early (early) sowings and with high
density, good fertilization for
allow for quick coverage.
2. Choose the densest crop for the peak season
precipitation.
3. Promote the alternating growth of crops with
different depths of the root system.
4. Alternate soil exhausting crops with crops
that improve fertility, for example, the
legumes. This is another measure to protect the
works and reduce erosion.
 4) MULTIPLE CROPS:

• It is defined as the use of the land with

more than one crop in the year. The most common modality
interesting about this exploitation system
consists of intercropping several crops in one
land unit, this type of operation
it is known as 'associated crops'.
 Its main objectives are:
Develop a dense vegetation cover to
protect the soil, after harvesting the
main crop.
Reduce surface runoff and
increase infiltration.
Provide a useful artificial grass as
additional grazing source.
It can eventually be incorporated as
green fertilizer.
 Cover crops can
to settle in:
1. Permanent tree plantations (between
rows and plants). Example: covers
permanent (alfalfa) or periodic
(crotalaria).
2. Annual crops: grass seeds or
legumes mixed with annual crops
like sorghum. When harvesting the main crop
the cover crop is left for the
soil protection.
 7) LIVING BARRIERS:
They are rows of perennial or long-lived plants,
dense, planted in direction
perpendicular, transversal to the slope
(slope of the land), to the direction of
wind, or in outline. This practice has
in order to reduce the erosive power of the
runoff or contain particles
detached by wind erosion.
 Its main objectives are:
Cut the drainage of particles.

Protect works from sedimentation

structural such as diversion channels,
absorption ditches and hillside ditches.

• Serve for the construction of terraces of

gradual training.
Desirable characteristics in a species
to be used as a living barrier:
Rapid growth.
2. Dense formation and shaped rows
continuous or almost continuous.
3. Low door.
4. Long life or rather everlasting.
5. Asexual reproduction (tillers, rhizomes,
cuttings or bulbs) to prevent invasion of
weeds in crop fields. It reduces the
infiltration and runoff planting
permanent arboreal.
 CROPS IN STRIPS:
This practice consists of alternating belts or stripes.
of clean crops with others of crops
dense, following a rotation program.
They adapt well to mechanizable terrains.
plans to almost plans, protecting them against the
erosion, dense crops decrease the
impact of rain, increases infiltration and
they reduce the runoff that would affect the belt of
clean cultivation located immediately
below.
 9) CULTIVO EN CONTORNO:
It is a practice that involves tilling the land, to make
furrows and sow the crop in a perpendicular direction
to the slope, following the contour lines. It is common
on soils with slight slopes, otherwise it
it must be complemented with another practice.
OBJETIVOS:

Reduce the speed of surface runoff.

Increase infiltration.
Reduce erosion.
Avoid the formation of furrows and gullies.
 10) WINDBREAK CURTAINS:
They represent a very agroforestry practice.
convenient and effective in flat, arid areas
the semi-arid areas, where the strong winds
they affect agricultural production.
In areas where irrigation predominates
aspersion, this practice contributes to
maintain a more uniform application of the
water, avoiding losses that reduce the
effectiveness of the system. They also serve as
green areas and wildlife shelters
 Criteria for curtain design
windbreaker
They must be oriented perpendicular to the prevailing winds.
2. Permeable, allowing 50 to 60% of the wind to pass through.
They must have several rows of trees, usually five, of different
densities and heights to give it a transverse shape
suitable, preferably triangular or rectangular.
4. The paths and openings to cross a curtain must be built in
diagonal. The straight openings can increase the speed by up to
140%.
5. The spacing between curtains should be approximately 20
sometimes its height, wind below. It has been proven that a curtain offers
protection 7 times its height against wind from above and 20 times against wind from below.
 Mechanical conservation practices
of soils.
It is about engineering works to manage and
channel the runoff waters and control
the removals of soil masses. The management
it intends to avoid runoff water
that large volumes travel distances
long, cutting them and evacuating them until
appropriate places. Some practices seek
control the puddles through
drainage works.
 Ditches:
They are narrow channels, drawn transversely
to the slope at a predetermined interval.
Intercept the runoff waters to
then store them or evacuate them in a form
controlled, to reduce the length of the
slope, reducing the risk of erosion.
To work in areas with little rainfall, to
promote infiltration and retention of
humidity.
 Terrace
It is very effective for controlling erosion and is such
it is one of the most aesthetic works of all.
They are tiered platforms or banks,
built transversely to the
slope and separated by protected embankments
by vegetation. The width of the bank varies with
the slope, the crop and the depth of
soil. Its relatively high cost.
 3) Deviation channels:
They are used to intercept, divert, and transport the
surface runoff water, coming from the
high areas of the basin to other areas where not
causing no damage to crops or infrastructure,
protecting crops or highly affected areas
erodible.
Its use is recommended in areas of high precipitation.
to avoid concentration and high speed of the
surface water, especially in high areas
slope or in flatter areas with a level
high groundwater (underground water).
 4) Stone barriers:

The stone barrier is a type of barrier of

"dead" matter (placement of stones on
the ground) placed in a transverse direction in the
pending, with the purpose of decreasing the
water runoff speed and at the same time
promote the deposition of coarse sediments.
 5) Dikes for control of
gullies
They protect the cut of the head of the ravine
small groove carved by the waters of
runoff), reduces the flow velocity of
the sporadic or intermittent currents of
the runoff and decrease the slope in the
channel.
 6) Stone walls:

They are walls made by collecting the

stones from the place where the construction will take place
work and whose dimensions will vary depending on
on the scope of the problem to be solved.
Gracias por su atención !

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