Question

Soil conservation can be best achieved by having a
(a) Windscreens
(b) Good plant cover
(c) Restricted human activity
(d) Low rainfall

Answer 1

Hint: Soil is the topmost layer of the earth’s surface and consists of minerals, organic matter, gas, and water. It is very important because it is the layer in which living organisms such as plants and microbes grow.

Complete Answer:
Soil conservation is very crucial as the entire field of agriculture depends on soil. There needs to be proper management of soil to be able to sustain it for a long time agricultural productivity. The major leading cause of soil destruction is soil erosion in which the top layer of soil gets worn off by physical forces. The most important factor in preventing soil erosion is to have good plant cover which helps by binding the top layer of soil with its roots. Windscreens, restricted human activity, and low rainfall also help in slowing the process of weathering, but the most important factor is good to plant cover.

Additional information: Let us look at some more soil conservation practices:
Crop rotation: This includes the rotation of different types of crops to be grown in successive years to reduce the chances of soil erosion and destruction by one type of plant.
Cover cropping: This is a method in which the soil is covered with a crop which reduces the impact of raindrops hitting the soil particles.
Mulching: In this method, a layer of organic matter is applied over the exposed soil.
Conservation tillage: In this method, sustainable methods are used for tillage to decrease soil destruction.
So, the correct option is ‘(b) Good plant cover’.

Note:
- Percolate rate is the amount of time it takes for water to pass through a sample of soil.
- Soil is divided into many categories on the basis of its constituent particle, texture, pore size, and number and percolation rate.
- Different types of soil include clay, sandy, silty, pearty, chalky, and loamy.