The property of water is to flow down the slope. Greater the slope, more is the velocity of run off and hence more is the energy of water to scour and carry the valuable and nutritive top soil. Similarly longer the length of a sloppy and, more is the velocity and hence energy of flow to carry soil particles. If the length of a slope is doubled, the energy increase varies with square of the increase of length. It results in two major losses to the farmers of this region.

• Water gets less opportunity time to seep into the soil. So in situ moisture conservation is reduced, resulting in less cropping intensity is such the permeability of the hard rock soil is less.


• Secondly, the top soil containing organic matter and applied nutrients gets eroded, thereby the farmer is at loss both in wasting money in inputs and getting less production as compared to the expectations.

These problems can be solved if the length of run in the sloppy land is reduced and some obstruction is placed before the flow to increase its opportunity time to infiltrate into the soil. This can be achieved by ploughing the sloppy land across the slope and have the corrugation termed due to subsequent ploghing as such without leveling Sowing can be done.

Benefits of ploughing across the slope

• It increases moisture conservation in situ.
• It prevents wash out of fertilizers and plant nutrients applied by the farmer.
• Production of crops increases because of increased availability of water and plant nutrients.
• Energy of flow being reduced, erosion of top soil is drastically reduced.
• With multiple cropping the net economic returns of the farmer will be enhanced.