R & D Sensitization workshop on Technology

interventions

By
Hombe Gowda, H. C.
Scientist- Forestry
Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute,
Research Centre, Sunabeda
VEGETATIVE BARRIER OF SAMBUTA
(A LOCAL GRASS) FOR CONSERVATION
AND PRODUCTION IN SLOPING
HIGHLANDS OF EASTERN GHAT REGION
Introduction

•Agricultural lands of Eastern Ghat-

– Uncontrolled run off and sediment loss
•Undulating topography
•Erratic rainfall,
•Faulty agriculture practices
•Indadequate/ no proper field bunding
•Unsustainable methods for disposal of run off water,
•Over exploitation of forest
•Shifting cultivation
•Mechanical measures is constrained by high cost
Introd…….cont...
• What is the Option?
-Vegetative barrier
• Why the Sambuta?
– Cost effective-locally available
– Environmentally acceptable
– Locally adopted
– Best suited
– Non-grazing
– Technically feasible for resource poor tribal farmers
• Use of the Technology
– Laid across the slopes up to 11%
– Maintenance free
– Socially acceptable
– Nature friendly for soil conservation
– Arable and non-arable lands of Easter Ghat
Design and Construction

• The sloping land

– divided into a no. of plots
– by 0.5 m contour interval
– Interval may be decided as per the field condition
• Earthen bund
– 0.3 x 0.3 x 0.5 (Top width x Height x Base width)
– Sambuta slips collected
– 20-30 cm girth is separated into 10-15 no of slips
– Planted in upstream of the bund
– Two rows in staggered manner
– Spacing 0.3m of inter row and intra row
Demonstration of Sambuta planting technique
on bund.

0.3 m
     

0.3 m

    
Sambuta barrier in arable land
Sambuta barrier in arable land
Sambuta barrier in arable land
Poorly managed breached Well managed bund with
bund without Vegetative Vegetative barrier Sambuta
barrier Sambuta
Profuse root system of Sambuta holding the
soil
Cost

• Meager: grass is available in the vicinity of farm lands, very

low expenditure for making the miniature earthen bunds

Sl. no. Particulars Quantity Rate (RS) Amount (Rs)

1. Earth Work for 100 4.5 cubic mt. 100.00 450.00
m bund preparation

2. Labour charges for 12 man days 90.00 1080.00

collection and
planting

Total1,530.00
 Maintenance and Management

Gap filling of Sambuta slips - regular intervals, monsoon,

Once the slips are established - do not require maintenance

pruning- height of 1.0 m

Bund breakage : supplemented with fresh planting with

Sambuta slips
Advantages / Benefits

Extensive root network

More soil binding capacity
High survival rate
Non-grazing grass species - promising barrier of this region
In-situ moisture conservation measure
Helps in breaking the slope length of the land: runoff and
sediment loss - reduces significantly.
• Expt. at 11% slope : reduced runoff and soil loss by 63.4 % over
farmers’ practice
• Increased yield of Ragi by 34 %,
• Enhanced OC accumulation and available potassium
• Helps in regulating the runoff water overflowing over the grass
barrier without damaging the field bund.
• Reduces maintenance expenditure of the bund
• Low lands- acts as a promising terraced paddy field bund stabilizer
• Reduces runoff (8 %) and soil loss 4 t/ha : barren earthen bunds
-runoff was 32.0% and soil loss 19 t/ha.
Thank You

Thank you