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The effect of duration of conservation agriculture adoption on soil carbon dynamics and system sustainability was evaluated on farms of 30 villages in the Nilokheri block of Karnal district, Haryana, India. Sustainability was evaluated, in which a number of soil physical, chemical, and biological parameters were measured and a Sustainability Index...
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... included bulk density (ρ b) , effective porosity (θ e) , wilting point (WP), soil water content at 1.5 MPa, available water capacity (AWC) to 20 cm, saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s) , soil organic carbon (SOC), coarse fragment fraction (CFF) (>2 mm), effective rooting depth (ERD), electrical conductivity (EC), and soil textural class. The estimation procedure of each parameter is given in Table 2. Taking limitations to crop production into consideration, critical values for each indicator and the relative weighing factors were assigned. ...Citations
... The increase or decrease in soil organic matter (SOM) has a crucial effect on soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN). (Bhattacharya et al. 2020). The higher MBC and MBN in organically treated soils of present study can be attributed to improved soil organic matter level, increased soil biological activity and stability of extracellular soil enzymes through complex humic substances in soils (Benbi et al. 2018). ...
... Initially, the C min was lower under the T 1 amended plot as compared to T 2 , T 3 and T 4 treatments. This trend might be related to a greater C: N ratio in the soil, as well as the immobilization of available N for microorganism survival in the soil ecology as supported by the finding of others (Yang et al. 2010;Samra et al. 2017); Bhattacharya et al. 2020) that greater C: N ratio slows mineralization and reduces CO 2 emissions (Lehmann et al. 2011). Combined organic and inorganic management practices had the greatest k value, implying the lowest N half-life (Wu et al. 2017). ...
... (Ansari et al. 2022). This can be correlated to our findings that long-term application of organic manure promotes microbial activity in the soil and encourages microorganisms to absorb nutrients and energy sources resulting in larger soil microbial biomass Benbi et al. 2018;Bhattacharya et al. 2020). The PmOC and PMN represent the biologically active states of carbon and nitrogen in soil, encompassing carbohydrates, amino acids, soil microbial biomass and other organic compounds. ...
The injudicious use of synthetic agri-inputs has adversely influenced the soil fertility in tropical and subtropical agriculture
with depleted reserves of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) Assessing dynamics of these nutrient elements and their impacts
on crop productivity in irrigated semi-arid cropping systems are immensely influenced by the climate induced crop nutrient
responses. Therefore, to comprehend the fundamental mechanisms that govern the carbon and nitrogen dynamics in
diverse nutrient management systems is crucial for understanding the effects of climate-induced variations in nutrient
availability on crop yield. In this study, surface soil (0–15 cm) samples were collected from four different sources: 100%
organic sources (T1), 75% organic + 25% inorganic sources (T2), 50% organic + 50% inorganic sources (T3), and 100%
inorganic sources (T4). The samples were then subjected to analysis for C and N dynamics, along with C sequestration
potential. The data was collected from the following cropping systems; rice-wheat-sesbania (CS1) and rice-barley-green
gram (CS2). The soil potential for C sequestration exhibited a range of 0.18 to 0.02 Mg C ha− 1 yr− 1 in CS1 and 0.17
to 0.03 Mg C ha− 1 yr− 1 in CS2, respectively, across the soil nutrient treatments. The long-term addition of organic
sources in organic ameliorations with or without inorganic fertilizers significantly enhanced active carbon and nitrogen
pools compared to 100% inorganic nutrient treatment in both the cropping systems. The ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen
extracted from inorganic nutrient treated soils were higher than that of organic treatments. Subsequently, soils amended
with organics had superior biological quality in terms of higher MBC, PmOC and MBN than other treatments. The higher
sustainability yield index (~ 0.79) was recorded in organically amended soil among the cropping systems. The research
findings demonstrate that the continuous incorporation of organic amendments for long-term is a beneficial approach for
improving the dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen in tropical soils.
... The improved enzyme activities may be because of augmented carbon sequestration and immobilization of carbon as well as nitrogen during the decomposition of residues, as numerous studies have revealed that the activities of soil enzymes can be influenced by SOC sequestration (He et al., 2020;Pu et al., 2020). Our results are in accordance with Bhattacharya et al. (2020). ...
Climate change is one of the main challenges, and it poses a tough challenge to the agriculture industry globally. Additionally, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the main contributor to climate change; however, croplands are a prominent source of GHG emissions. Yet this complex challenge can be mitigated through climate-smart agricultural practices. Conservation tillage is commonly known to preserve soil and mitigate environmental change by reducing GHG emissions. Nonetheless, there is still a paucity of information on the influences of conservation tillage on wheat yield, soil properties, and GHG flux, particularly in the semi-arid Dingxi belt. Hence, in order to fill this gap, different tillage systems, namely conventional tillage (CT) control, straw incorporation with conventional tillage (CTS), no-tillage (NT), and stubble return with no-tillage (NTS), were laid at Dingxi, Gansu province of China, under a randomized complete block design with three replications to examine their impacts on yield, soil properties, and GHG fluxes. Results depicted that different conservative tillage systems (CTS, NTS, and NT) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the plant height, number of spikes per plant, seed number per meter square, root yield, aboveground biomass yield, thousand-grain weight, grain yield, and dry matter yield compared with CT. Moreover, these conservation tillage systems notably improved the soil properties (soil gravimetric water content, water-filled pore space, water storage, porosity, aggregates, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon, light fraction organic carbon, carbon storage, microbial biomass carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen storage, microbial biomass nitrogen, total phosphorous, available phosphorous, total potassium, available potassium, microbial counts, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase, cellulase, and catalase) while decreasing the soil temperature and bulk density over CT. However, CTS, NTS, and NT had non-significant effects on ECe, pH, and stoichiometric properties (C:N ratio, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio). Additionally, conservation-based tillage regimes NTS, NT, and CTS significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the emission and net global warming potential of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) by 23.44, 19.57, and 16.54%, respectively, and decreased the greenhouse gas intensity by 23.20, 29.96, and 18.72%, respectively, over CT. We conclude that NTS is the best approach to increasing yield, soil and water conservation, resilience, and mitigation of agroecosystem capacity.
... Under CT, the macro-aggregates into microaggregates lead to decomposition and loss of glomalin [34]. Bhattacharya et al. [35] have also reported that glomalin protein was significantly higher under conservation agriculture over the CT. Furthermore, among the residue treatment the TG was found higher under the mulch condition than the no mulch condition across the soil depth (Fig 6). ...
Aims: Integrated approaches that consider the synergies and trade-offs among tillage, residue, and nitrogen management are essential for optimizing agricultural sustainability to highlight the complex interplay between agronomic, environmental, and biological factors. We intended to evaluate the impact of tillage, residue, and nitrogen management on crop growth and soil biological properties under a maize-wheat cropping system in an inceptisol. Study Design: Split-split plot design. Place and Duration of Study: ICAR-IARI research farm, New Delhi, since 2014. Methodology: We collected soil samples at the anthesis stage of wheat crop and silking stage of maize crop at 0-5, 5-15, and 15-30 cm soil depth. Soil properties, namely soil organic carbon, dehydrogenase, acid, and alkaline phosphatase, soil microbial biomass carbon, soil microbial biomass phosphorus, and glomalin content by using standard procedures. Results: We observed that the soil organic carbon, enzyme activities, microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus, and glomalin content were significantly (P<0.05) higher under no-tillage and residue treatment at 0-5 and 5-15 cm soil depth. Enzyme activity and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were significantly higher by application of 100 and 150% RDN, respectively, at 0-5 and 5-15 cm soil depth. The effect of nitrogen treatment on biomass yield was significant (P<0.05) and found to be higher at 150% Recommended dose of Nitrogen (RDN). The biomass yield of maize was 15.3% and 44.5%, and wheat was 7.8% and 20.4%, significantly increased by applying 150% RDN over the 100% and 50% RDN respectively. Conclusion: Farmers can successfully adopt NT with 5 t ha-1 crop residue mulch with 150% RDN to attain better soil health and higher biomass yield under the maize-wheat cropping system.
... For the maize agroecosystem, macronutrient deficiency is one of the major yield limitations [5]. Therefore, soil management is critical to maximising nutrient use efficiency [6] and is essential for improving the sustainability of agroecosystems [4,7]. ...
... Obtained SQI to evaluate changes derived from agroecological fertilisation practices like nejayote-manure fertilisation includes soil indicators such as organic matter and nutrient content. All these properties were reported in soil quality evaluations [19][20][21][22] because of their contribution to improving soil sustainability and quality [7]. Manure addition increases soil quality by at least 40% with respect to chemical fertilisation [12]. ...
Agroecological practices such as organic fertilisation offer a sustainable approach to crop systems. In this research, organic fertilisers made from a mixture of nejayote (lime water) and ovine manure were evaluated in maize. Several indexes and indicators were calculated based on field data. The results demonstrated that nejayote-manure fertilisers improve soil quality (SQI = 14.1), enhance efficiency in nutrient utilisation (increased yield, IY = 4.2 Mg ha−1), and promote greater production biomass compared to chemical fertilisation. Organic fertilisation reduced dependency on external inputs and non-renewable energy, increased sustainability in maize, and facilitated the closure of nutrient cycles by integrating livestock, crop, and agro-industrial systems.
... Consequently, reduced and no tillage have received more attention and widespread adoption due to lower production costs, less soil disturbance, and greater conservation of soil and water resources (Morug an-Coronado et al., 2020). Conservation agriculture such as no tillage has been reported to improve soil health, and soil hydraulic properties, increase soil organic carbon (SOC), enhance the stability of soil structure, increase soil water storage, reduce water erosion, and improve ecological system services (Tan et al., 2015;Bhattacharya et al., 2020;Li et al., 2020;Liu et al., 2021;Al-Wazzan and Muhammad, 2022). Numerous studies have suggested using a no-tillage system rather than the conventional method for all the aforementioned reasons. ...
Sustainable agricultural strategies such as conservation agriculture (CA) and integrated land management are required to mitigate land degradation and food insecurity. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different cropping systems: sole sorghum (SOR), sole cowpea (COW), sole soybean (SOY), sorghum-cowpea intercrop (SC), and sorghum-soybean intercrop (SS); and tillage practices: conventional tillage (CT), no tillage (NT), and compacted no till (NTc) on physical and mechanical properties of an Alfisol in Southwestern Nigeria.
The experimental layout comprised a split plot design accommodating the 3 tillage and 5 cropping systems in a
randomized complete block design with three replications. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from 0 to 15 cm, and 15–30 cm soil layers for the determination of soil bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), and unconfined compressive strength (quf). The results showed that bulk density was lower, while total porosity was higher under intercrops than monocrops in all the tillage treatments. Conventional tillage had the least BD compared to no tillage and compacted no till plots. Soil vane shear strength (Ʈ) and unconfined compressive strength (quf) were generally lower under the intercrops than the sole sorghum plots. Averaged over the two soil depths, the mean soil quf of SS intercrop was 1.28 times lower than the mean soil quf of SOR but was 1.06 times higher than the mean soil quf of SOY. SC intercrop had a 14.20% and a 9.15% lower average soil quf than SOR and COW in 2019.
Unconfined compressive strength and vanes shear strength significantly positively correlated with BD and negatively with TP, organic carbon (OC), organic matter (OM), and total nitrogen (N) in both cropping years. The research demonstrates that farming approaches that integrate soil cover preservation and minimal soil disturbance with diverse cropping systems improve soil physical and mechanical behavior.
... Unfortunately, in India, the increasing population is causing major pressure on agricultural systems in many world regions, frequently resulting in soil resource degradation (Blair et al., 1995). Soil carbon is a fundamental indicator of agricultural techniques cover around 8% of the world's arable land (124.8 million hectares) (Bhattacharya et al., 2020). The practice of zero tillage and CA has grown to roughly 1.5 million hectares in the last few years (Jat et al., 2012). ...
After six years of continuous Conservation Agriculture practices, we investigated the impact of crop residue retention and GreenSeeker N fertiliser supply on soil carbon indices. The lability of carbon appears to be more in zero tillage without residues (ZTWoR) plots than zero tillage with residues (ZTWR). More carbon pools were observed in 33%N+GS and 50%N+GS treatments, and the trend was 33%N+GS > 50%N+GS > 70%N+GS or RDN. CMI was higher in the 15-30 cm layer than the 0-15 cm soil layer. CMI values were high in the residue-retained plots compared to non-residue retained plots. In ZTWR plots, CMI values ranged from 150.22±7.37 and in ZTWoR plots, values ranged from 145.33±1.09. From the study, Zero tillage with residue retention improves CMI values in the soil; hence it is recommended to improve the soil fertility and quality.
... Widespread degradation of soils and natural resources now pose a challenge for researchers/scientists to come out with an advanced natural resource-management practice for sustainable productivity and improved soil health (Bhattacharya et al., 2020). Natural resource management has become a vital component for sustainable agriculture because of extensive resource degradation. ...
A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2020 and 2021 at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to evaluate the impact of different tillage and residue-management practices (TRMPs) and organic nutrition on performance of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with 3 replications. The treatment comprised 4 TRMPs in main plots and 5 organic nutrient management practices in subplot. The result showed that, application of zero tillage with residue (ZT + R) resulted in significantly higher number of branches/plant (9.65), pods/plant (69.2), seeds/pod (2.68), grain yield (1.63 t/ha) and gross return (` 87,480/ha) being statistically at par with conventional tillage with residue (CT + R) and superior to the other treatments. Significantly enhanced yield attributes i.e. branches/plant (9.12), pods/plant (69.8), seeds/pod (2.71) and grain yield (1.6 t/ha) were observed under application of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) through inorganic fertilizers followed by recommended dose of nitrogen through vermicompost (VC) + biofertilizer + cow urine (10%) + Panchgavya (5%) + Jeevamrut (500 litres/ha), recommended dose of nitrogen through farmyard manure (FYM) + biofertilizer + cow urine (10% foliar application at vegetative, panicle emergence and flowering stage) + Panchgavya (5% foliar application at vegetative, panicle emergence and flowering stage) + Jeevamrut (500 litres/ha foliar application at 30, 60 and 90 days after sowing (DAS). However, the maximum gross returns realized under N 5 (` 87,280/ha) followed by N 4. Hence, combined application of ZT + R along with N 5 organic package and followed by ZT + R along with N 4 organic package are better options for improving the yield attributes and productivity of soybean crop under conservation agriculture (CA) in semiarid ecology of India and similar agro-eco regions.
... techniques cover around 8% of the world's arable land (124.8 million hectares) (Bhattacharya et al. 2020). The practice of zero tillage and CA has grown to roughly 1.5 million hectares in the last few years (Jat et al., 2012). ...
Ecosystem services are becoming critical for evaluating the sustainability of any ecosystem. However, agricultural intensification, excess resource usage, and heavy mechanization are often considered for their negative impact rather than positive ecosystem services. Keeping this in mind, the study was conducted from 2018 to 2020 to evaluate and quantify the food, fodder services, Cstock accumulation, nutrients cycling, earthworms’ population, and GHG emissions in the maizewheat-mungbean cropping system under conservation agriculture practices. The study was performed at the long term experimental site (since 2012) at research farm (block 9B) of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Summer mung bean (cv. Pusa Vishal), Kharif maize (cv. PMH 1) and wheat (cv. HD 2967) were grown at the experimental site having sandy loam soil (Typic haplustept). The experiment was carried out with zero tillage with residue retention (ZTWR) and zero tillage without residue retention (ZTWoR), along with precision nitrogen management. This study revealed that cumulative total ecosystem services were highest in ZTWR 50%BN+GS (Rs. 6,44,423) and lowest in ZTWoR 70%BN+GS (Rs. 5,26,906) among the treatments. ZTWR was observed to have the greatest values (Rs.6,10,892) among the main plot treatments, and ZTWoR plots have the lowest values (Rs. 5,49,632). The result of precision nitrogen management, particularly the application of 50%BN+GS, had the greatest values (Rs. 6,08,095), followed by 33%BN+GS (Rs. 5,85,591) and RDN (Rs.5,75,833), while the lowest value was recorded in treatment 70%BN+GS. The result also indicates that ZTWR performed better than ZTWoR plots. Value of ecosystem services under ZTWR plots, through food production (Rs. 318979), fodder production (Rs. 84306), C-stock (Rs. 186744), GHG emissions (Rs. -43911), nutrient cycling (Rs. 16432), and earthworms (Rs.114), are from the maize-wheat-mungbean cropping system under conservation agriculture practices. This study provides the best understanding of the economic worth of agricultural ecosystem services particularly in maize based no-tillage farming systems. This study would help to make a policy framework for farmers to provide the payment for ecosystem services and aid in ensuring the long-term sustainability of farms and farmers' income.
... Furthermore, diversified crop rotations effectively disrupt disease and pest life-cycles [4], and support weed control [6]. Conservation agriculture affects a range of soil quality parameters, such as the organic carbon content [7], earthworm populations, pH, nitrogen (N) losses, amount of exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K [8], and microbial biomass carbon [9]. Chemical, biological, and physical properties of soil are essential for soil quality assessments [10]. ...
... Several studies have evaluated the effects of conservation agriculture on the physical parameters of soil [9,13,14]. The main improvements reported are in terms of aggregate stability, infiltration rate [15], control of erosion [16], and air permeability [17]. ...
... m, and a trend found in the increasing bulk density with depth was verified. These results agree with the generally reported increases in bulk density for RT systems, concerning the topsoil [9,13]. Reportedly, the increase in bulk density in the RT treatment may be explained by the mechanical load, the weight of the machinery [56,57], and the natural reconsolidation [58]. ...
In conservation agriculture, conservation tillage potentially influences the physical, chemical, and biological quality of the soil. Although the effects of conservation agriculture on the soil’s physical properties have been studied in conventional management systems, studies on organic farming systems, especially concerning long-term changes, are scarce. This study summarizes the results of physical and mechanical soil parameters obtained over the initial 10 years of different conservation management treatments (plowing versus reduced tillage with and without compost application) in an organic field trial conducted in central Germany. Moreover, as a research objective, the effects of soil conservation measures on soil’s physical quality were evaluated. Differences in the soil’s physical quality during treatments were mainly detected in the topsoil. At a depth of 0.10–0.24 m, the total porosity and air capacity were lower, and the bulk density was higher in the reduced-tillage systems, compared to those of the plowed treatments. Additionally, the soil’s mechanical stability (precompression stress) was higher at a depth of 0.10 m for reduced-tillage systems combined with compost application. In addition, the soil’s aggregate stability was enhanced in the reduced-tillage systems (higher mean weight diameter, as determined via wet sieving). Overall, the reduced-tillage treatments did not exceed the critical physical values of the soil, nor affect the functionality of the soil (saturated hydraulic conductivity), thereby demonstrating its feasibility as a sustainable technique for organic farming. Future studies should include measures to ameliorate compaction zones in reduced-tillage treatments, e.g., by applying subsoiling techniques in combination with deep-rooting crops to prevent limited rooting space resulting from the high mechanical impedance, especially under dry soil conditions.
... Conservation tillage is defined as any tillage and planting system that leaves 30% of crop residue on the soil surface after planting [6]. No tillage, shallow surface tillage, subsoiling, strip rototilling and residue mulching are often included under the umbrella of this definition [7,8]. Singh et al. [9] have shown that management practices based on conservation agriculture (CA), such as dry direct seeding rice (DSR), zero tillage (ZT), and residue retention, may contribute to improving yields, reducing costs and increasing farmers' profits in the rice-maize system (RMS). ...
Karst rocky desertification associated with human disturbance is one of the most serious eco-environmental problems, threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in southwestern China. In the current study, the practice of conservation tillage as one of the best ways of reducing the constraints is addressed. During a two-year trial (2014–2015), the effects of no tillage with straw cover (NT) and traditional tillage (TT) on soil properties and maize yields were investigated in karst regions, Southwest China. The results showed that the trial with NT increased soil moisture content by 3%, while decreasing soil bulk density by 7% in the top 30 cm compared with TT. In 2014, within 0–30 cm of soil depth, total nitrogen under NT treatment was 5% higher than that under TT treatment. In 2015, the mean soil organic matter (SOM) and available P were enhanced to 12% and 13% in 0–30 cm soil depth more than that under TT, respectively. The trial with NT significantly (p < 0.05) increased available N in the top 20 cm by 9% as compared to TT. This improvement in soil physical and chemical properties might have increased the crop yield. After the two-year trial with NT, the mean maize yields increased by 11% compared with the TT trial. Therefore, conservation tillage is the better option considering long-term environmental sustainability in karst regions.
