Land leveling effects on soil properties and crop productivity

Land leveling is one of the important soil and water conservation measures, which improves resource use efficiency in the agricultural lands. A study was carried out under a wasteland development project at villageAganpur Bhagwasi of block Derabassi, District Patiala, (Punjab). The soil profile survey of undulating degraded land showed poor soil fertility status and the sub-soils of the region were salt-affected (pH 9.1–10.3, electrical conductivity 1–1.6 dS.m⁻¹). Land leveling resulted in a significant increase in soil pH and salinity due to the exposure of the salt affected sub soils and a decrease in soil organic carbon (%), microbial and mycorrhizal status, especially in the cut portions. The effect of land leveling on soil pH was less in the top elevation, but increased in the middle and the lower elevations due to increasing level of sub-soil alkalinity along the slope. The filled portion of the leveled fields showed significantly higher yields of wheat, lentil, mustard and rice over the unleveled fields, but the yields in the cut portions were lesser by 8–27%.