Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Research Centre, Sector 27-A, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh - 160019, India.
1Dry land Agriculture Research Project, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar - 125004, India.
About 175.0 m ha land out of 328.0 m ha total geographical area of country suffers from land degradation of one or other type. Erosion induced degradation either by wind or water is the most important cause. These degraded lands expertence problems of water stress under rainfed and water excess under irrigated conditions. Steps for rehabilitation through integrated resource management are defined. For rainfed conditions, these include rainwater conservation on micro and macro levels, reduction in water loss through use of residues on soil surface and antitranspirants on plant surface. Alternative land use and cropping systems have been found effective to use limited moisture and thus, reduce the risk of crop failure. For waterlogged conditions, various types of drainage systems viz. surface, sub-surface, tubewell and bio-drainage etc. reduced the water table and increased agricultural production. Use of crop residue and other organic resources in conjuctlon with inorganic nutrients improved soil health and crop production.
