Similarities & difference between inter-row water harvesting and inter-plot (microplot) water harvesting?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
Micro catchments:
This system collects surface runoff, as sheet flow over a short distance, from a small catchments area (around 1000 sq m). Runoff water is usually applied to agriculture area where it is stored in root zone that can be used directly by the plants and also can be stored in small reservoir around the plant for later use.
On-farm systems
On farm systems are designed and constructed at low-cost, making them easily replicable and adaptable. It can be applied for any crop or any slope. They have higher runoff efficiency than macro-catchment systems and do not usually need water conveyance system. The most important land-based micro catchments or on-farm water harvesting systems in the dry areas of Wana are described below:
1. Contour ridges: These are bunds or ridges constructed along the contour line, usually spaced between 5 and 20m apart. The first 1-2 m above the ridge is for cultivation, whereas the rest is the catchment. The height of each ridge varies according to slope’s gradient and the expected depth of the runoff water retained behind it. They may be constructed on wide range of slopes, from 1% to 50%. The key success of these systems is to locate the ridge as precisely as possible along the contour. In the semi-arid tropics, this system is sometimes combined with other techniques, such as the zay system or the tied-ridge system.