Spatial and Temporal Variation of C– Factor and Soil Erosion in a Semi-Arid Watershed: A Case Study in Mahabubnagar District
Journal Title: International Journal of Agricultural Science and Research (IJASR) - Year 2017, Vol 7, Issue 5
Abstract
Identifying the erosion prone areas and estimation of soil loss in the watershed is essential for implementing suitable conservation practices. In the present study, spatial, temporal variation of C-factor and soil erosion was assessed in a micro-watershed, located in Mahabubnagar district using RUSLE, integrated with Remote Sensing and GIS for the period 2001 to 2016. The mean annual erosivity factor (5007.56 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 yr−1) was derived using daily rainfall data, by adopting standard procedures. The soil erodibility (K) and conservation practice (P) factors in the study area were selected as 0.017 and 0.39, based on watershed geological features. The cover management factor (C) was derived from the MODIS NDVI images of 16 day interval, with 250 m resolution. The results indicated that, the values of the C factor ranged from 0.01 to 0.85 and varied spatially and temporally, depending upon variation in the vegetative cover. The areas having lower NDVI, resulted in higher values of C factor. No considerable variation in mean C factor was observed, during above normal, normal and drought years. The annual soil loss varied spatially from 0.0016 to 15.68 t ha−1 yr−1and mean annual soil erosion of 1.27 t ha−1 yr−1. And the mean annual soil loss was found to be 2.0, 1.16 and 0.69 t ha−1 yr−1 during above normal, normal and drought years. The obtained results inferred that, major portion of the study area comes under slight erosion category (< 2.5 t ha−1 yr−1) and in-situ soil conservation measures (strip cropping, crop rotations, etc.), farm ponds and percolation tanks are recommended for the sustainable management of watersheds.
Authors and Affiliations
K. Pushpalatha, K. S. Kumar, K. V. Rao, R. Rejani
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP244558
- DOI -
- Views 134
- Downloads 0
ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY GAPS AND RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF JASMINE BUDWORM, HENDECASIS DUPLIFASCIALIS HAMPSON IN TAMIL NADU
Surveys were conducted during 2015-2016, in major jasmine growing districts of Tamil Nadu, for assessing the distribution, infestation level and the relative importance of jasmine budworm, Hendecasis duplifasialis Hampso...
Climate Change Challenges and Knowledge Gaps in Smallholder Potato Production: The Case of Mauche Ward in Nakuru County, Kenya
This paper explores the climate change challenges, adaptation strategies and knowledge gaps in smallholder potato production in Mauche Ward of Nakuru County, Kenya. Understanding climate change challenges is important in...
Estimates of Genetic and Phenotypic Trends Considering Early and Lifetime Performance Traits in Murrah Buffaloes
Data on 479 Murrah buffaloes over a period of 24 years from 1990 to 2013 related to early and lifetime performance traits were collected from history sheets maintained at Buffalo Research Centre, LUVAS, Hisar. All the ea...
Effect of Some Chemicals & Packaging Materials on Shelf Life of Papaya Cv. Ranchi
The investigation was conducted to assess the efficacy of certain chemicals and packaging materials on ripening behavior, shelf life and quality of papaya fruits during storage. The post harvest application of different...
Performance Evaluation of Tractor Operated Sugarcane Stubble Shaver
Sugarcane stubble shaving is an important field operation followed for harvesting of sugarcane crop in ratoon management practice. Sugarcane, apart from being a vital source of sugar provides a fair amount of raw materia...