(a) Write down the approaches for soil conservation. (10 marks) (b) Briefly discuss the criteria for irrigation scheduling in…

(a) Approaches to soil conservation (10 marks)

Soil conservation aims to reduce erosion by water and wind and to maintain soil productivity. The approaches are:

• Agronomic or biological measures: contour farming, strip cropping, cover crops and green manures, mulching and crop residue retention, crop rotation with soil-building legumes, conservation tillage (zero or minimum tillage), and agroforestry.
• Vegetative measures: grass and live-hedge barriers on contours, afforestation, pasture development, and windbreaks and shelterbelts against wind erosion.
• Mechanical or engineering measures: contour and graded bunds, bench and other terraces, contour trenches, diversion drains and grassed waterways, and gully control by check dams and gully plugs.
• Watershed management: treating the catchment from ridge to valley, with in-situ rainwater conservation such as farm ponds.
• Soil-management measures: organic matter addition, gypsum for sodic soils, and balanced fertiliser use. Measures are chosen by slope, rainfall and soil: agronomic measures on gentle slopes, and mechanical ones on steeper land or where erosion is severe.

(b) Criteria for irrigation scheduling (10 marks)

Irrigation scheduling decides when and how much to irrigate. The main criteria are:

• Soil moisture status: irrigate when a set share, usually about 50%, of available soil moisture is depleted, or when tensiometer or gravimetric measurements reach a set level.
• Plant indicators: visible symptoms (wilting, leaf rolling, colour change), leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and canopy temperature (crop water stress index).
• Climatological approach: the ratio of irrigation water to cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE, generally 0.75 to 1.0), or evapotranspiration, calculated as crop coefficient times reference evapotranspiration, is used to irrigate when the water lost reaches the allowable depletion.
• Critical growth stages: irrigating at stages sensitive to stress, for example crown root initiation in wheat, flowering and grain filling in cereals, and pod formation in pulses.
• Soil water balance: keeping account of inputs (rain, irrigation) and outflows (evapotranspiration, drainage) in the root zone.

(c) Components of a drip irrigation system (10 marks)

Drip irrigation applies water slowly, drop by drop, close to the roots through emitters, with 90% or more efficiency. Its components in the direction of flow are:

• Head unit: pump (or a tank with gravity head) giving the pressure; filters (screen, gravel or sand and hydrocyclone) to remove suspended matter, which prevents clogging; a fertiliser tank or venturi injector for fertigation; a control valve, pressure gauge and water meter.
• Main line: PVC pipe, carrying water from the head unit to the field.
• Sub-main: PVC or HDPE pipe distributing to the laterals, with a flush valve at the end.
• Laterals: 12 to 16 mm low-density polyethylene tubes laid along crop rows.
• Emitters (drippers): fixed on or inside the laterals, discharging 2 to 8 litres per hour, and either pressure-compensating or non-compensating.
• Fittings: connectors, tees, elbows, grommets, take-offs, and end caps or valves.

(d) Regulation of agricultural prices in India (10 marks)

Agricultural prices are regulated to protect farmers from price collapse and consumers from spikes.

• Minimum Support Price (MSP): announced by the Government on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices for 22 mandated crops (cereals, pulses, oilseeds and commercial crops), and the Fair and Remunerative Price for sugarcane. Since 2018-19 the MSP is set at least 1.5 times the cost A2+FL. The Commission weighs cost, demand and supply, market and international prices, inter-crop parity and inflation.
• Procurement: by the Food Corporation of India and state agencies, mainly rice and wheat, and by NAFED for pulses and oilseeds, under price-support operations, under the PM-AASHA scheme for pulses and oilseeds, with the Market Intervention Scheme and the Price Stabilisation Fund for perishables.
• Buffer stocks and public distribution, and open-market sales, which stabilise prices.
• Trade and stock policy: export restrictions or duties, import duties and stock limits under the Essential Commodities Act, to check price spikes.
• Market regulation: APMC laws, the e-NAM platform, and warehouse-receipt finance.

(e) Steps in farm planning (10 marks)

Farm planning is the systematic allocation of the farm's resources to enterprises to maximise income at acceptable risk. The steps are:

1. Farm inventory and survey: a farm map, land, soil type and capability, water, labour, capital, machinery and buildings.
2. Analysis of the situation: strengths, weaknesses, constraints, market and credit access, and past performance.
3. Setting objectives: income, food security, risk and family needs.
4. Identifying alternative enterprises and cropping or farming systems suited to soil, climate, resources and markets.
5. Working out costs and returns of each alternative by budgeting (partial, complete or programme planning), or linear programming for the best combination.
6. Selecting the best plan, with layout, crop rotation and calendar of operations.
7. Arranging inputs, credit, insurance and marketing.
8. Implementation, monitoring and review, and revision of the plan according to results and changes in prices or weather.