Effect of vegetation on runoff production and utilization of stored water to evolve profitable vegetable crop sequences

Abstract

newline The present study Effect of vegetation on runoff production and utilization of stored water to evolve profitable vegetable crop sequences was conducted at the experimental farm of Department of Soil Science, CSK HPKV, Palampur from kharif 2005 to rabi 2006-07. The vegetative covers in the catchments included maize, soybean and grasses duing kharif and gobhi sarson, wheat and grasses during rabi season. For efficient utilization of stored water, the treatments included four cropping sequences viz. okra-radish-green onion, brinjal-radish-pea, brinjal-broccoli-green onion and okra-cauliflower-french bean, with mulch and without mulch. newlineThe weather remained drier during the first study year as compared to the second year. The total runoff during first and second year was 261.8 and 318.5 cm. The mechanical composition of the soil of experimental site showed that soil texture was silty clay loam. Bulk density increased and saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased with depth from 0-0.15 to 0.30-0.45m. The results show that the volume of runoff available for harvesting was the highest from maize, followed by soybean and grass cover, during kharif season. During rabi season the volume of runoff available was the highest from wheat, followed by gobhi sarson and grass cover. Rainfall correlated well with runoff during both the years of study. To increase the productivity of stored water, mulch was applied to the vegetable crops. Soil moisture in 0.0-0.15 m soil layer under mulched treatments was higher by 0-13 per cent in okra, 2-12 per cent in brinjal, 10-18 per cent in radish, 11-14 per cent in broccoli, 21 per cent in green onion, 9-12 per cent in pea and 24-31 per cent in french bean, over the unmulched treatments. Mulching maintained soil moisture at a quite high potential over the no mulch treatments at all the depths under all the vegetable crops. Minimum soil temperature increased by 0.3-1.6oC and maximum soil temperature decreased by 0.4 to 6.7oC under the vegetable crops where mulch was applied o