Hindi terminology and agricultural concept
- Hindi name: समोच्च जुताई (Samocch Jutai) or ढलान के समानांतर जुताई.
- Concept: Ploughing is executed horizontally across the slope along contour lines rather than vertically up and down the hill slope.
- Water control: Furrows created along contours intercept surface runoff water, preventing it from gathering destructive erosive velocity.
- Soil retention: Traps fertile eroded topsoil particles within the field, preventing gully formation and nutrient wash-off.
Field implementation techniques
- Contour survey: Identify and mark contour lines across the field using simple A-frames, Bunyadi levellers, or digital survey instruments.
- Furrows and bunds: Form contour ridges and vegetative barrier strips along the marked lines using tractor cultivators or bullock ploughs.
- Crop pairing: Combine contour ploughing with strip cropping, planting alternate bands of erosion-checking legumes (cowpea, gram) and cereals.
- Terrace farming integration: On steeper hill slopes, contour ploughing is integrated into bench terracing.
Regional applications and watershed programs
- Widely practiced in the hilly and undulating agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Western Ghats, and the northeastern states.
- Crucial for rainfed dryland farming in plateau tracts of central and southern India to maximize rainwater infiltration.
- Promoted under national watershed development projects and the Soil Health Card initiative.
Official source
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ICAR - Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation ↗Related on KisanPe
Common questions
What is contour ploughing called in Hindi?
It is called समोच्च जुताई (Samocch Jutai) in Hindi.
How does contour ploughing save rainwater?
Horizontal contour furrows act as miniature water traps, slowing runoff and allowing water to infiltrate deep into the soil.
What happens if a farmer ploughs up and down a slope?
Vertical ploughing creates natural channels for rainwater to rush downhill, causing severe soil erosion and gully formation.
Where is contour ploughing most effective?
On sloping hillsides, undulating drylands, and watershed development areas prone to water erosion.
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
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