Development of appropriate mechanization for the ‘W’-form soil management system

Abstract

The ‘W’-form soil management system consists of shaping the soil surface in the form of a ‘W’ with alternate wide and narrow ridges following the contour. The triangular section wide ridges serve as a rainwater harvesting zone, the trapezoidal section narrow ridges as the planting zone and the furrows as water-storage zones and pathways for animals and wheels. The system, which was designed to improve ‘in-situ’ rainwater harvesting and control of run-off and erosion, has also shown promising results in: (1) facilitating separate and selective tillage operations for different zones, (2) decreasing the animal and tractor hours requirement, (3) reducing compaction in the planting zone and (4) permitting localized application of soil conditioners, thus resulting in higher yield and ensured crop production. The operational requirements for implementing and reshaping the system are described in detail for two types of mechanization, one for animal traction and another for tractor traction. Implementation of the system requires 6–8 h ha −1 with animal traction and 2–3 h ha −1 with tractor traction as compared to 20–22 h ha −1 and 6–8 h ha −1 required in the traditional system of flat cultivation with animal and tractor traction, respectively.