Fortified Groundnut Shells as a Soil Amendment for Improved Productivity in Oilseed Based Cropping System of Semi-arid Tropics (SAT) India

AbstractThe 1996 farm bill challenges agricultural producers to pursue conservation objectives while allowing flexibility and reducing subsidies. The nature of this challenge for semi-arid rainfed, wind-erosion-prone agriculture is explored via a behavioral model. Simulations of farm-firm decision making under scenarios in the southern Texas High Plains are evaluated. Results indicate that the removal of subsidies, while lowering farm incomes, does not, under most assumptions, alter cropping system choice. Alternatively, under a variety of assumptions, the imposition of an erosion tax shuts down cropping.

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Soil invertebrates in durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) cropping system under Mediterranean semi arid conditions: A comparison between conventional and no-tillage management

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2010.12.004 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 112 (2) ◽

pp. 122-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Faïek Errouissi ◽

Sihem Ben Moussa-Machraoui ◽

Moncef Ben-Hammouda ◽

Saïd Nouira

Keyword(s):

Durum Wheat ◽

Triticum Durum ◽

Cropping System ◽

Soil Invertebrates ◽

No Tillage ◽

Arid Conditions ◽

Semi Arid

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Soil P, Arbuscular mycorrhizal spore count and root colonization of cowpea in biochar amended soils under maize/cowpea cropping systems

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-12936 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ifeyinwa Monica Uzoh ◽

Chukwuebuka Christopher Okolo ◽

Akudo Ogechukwu Onunwa ◽

Olubukola Oluranti Babalola

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Control Plot ◽

Spore Count ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Biochar Soil Amendment ◽

Amended Soil

AbstractCowpea, a food and nutrition security crop is being threatened by decline in soil fertility especially in small holder farmstead. The natural arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil could improve its ability to acquire and retain nutrients thereby leading to higher yield. This irrigated field research was conducted to determine the effect of biochar rates and cropping systems on selected soil chemical properties, soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), nitrogen (SMBN), phosphorus (SMBP), and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) spore count and mycorrhizal fungi colonization (AMF) of cowpea. Experimental design was 3 x 3 factorial in randomized complete block design (RCBD). Factor A was three cropping systems; sole cowpea, intercropping and intra-cropping, while factor B was three biochar rates; control (biochar at 0 t ha-1 (B0)), biochar at 2.5 t ha-1 (B1) and biochar at 5 t ha-1 (B2). These were replicated in three blocks to constitute 27 plots. The entire plot was cleared, ploughed and demarcated into beds with hoes and diggers. Cowpea sole or inter- or intra- cropped with maize were planted in a spacing distance of 25cm by 75cm, with intercropped cowpea being in-between the interrow spacing (75 cm), while the intracropped cowpeas was planted between the intrarow spacing (25 cm). Biochar soil amendment were applied two weeks after planting by making a groove in-between the rows in the soil and covering them with soil. The result showed that biochar soil amendment and interaction of biochar with cropping system significantly (p<0.05) affected SMBN, SMBC, total&#160; VAM spore count and AMF colonization by cowpea, whereas cropping system significantly affected only total VAM spore count and AMF colonization by cowpea. B2 amended soil had the highest SMBC content (0.028 mg kg-1) while the least was from control plot (0.021 mg kg -1), SMBN was highest in B1 amended soil (0.004 mg kg-1), followed by control plot (0.002 mg kg-1). Control had higher AMF and total VAM spore count while biochar amended soil had higher soil microbial properties. Considering the cropping systems, inter and intra-cropping had higher microbial biomass and total VAM spore count than sole cowpea whereas sole cowpea had higher AMF infection of cowpea than the intercropped cowpea. Biochar at 5 tha-1 had the highest available P. Generally, this study showed superiority of the interaction of biochar with cropping systems over sole cropping in the improvement of soil properties in degraded soils of North-West province of South Africa.Key words: Cropping systems; Chromic Luvisol; Microbial properties; Soil fertility; Soil amendment

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Crop diversification of predominant Pearl millet based cropping system for higher productivity, resource-use efficiency and profitability in Semi-Arid Rajasthan

Legume Research - An International Journal ◽

10.18805/lr-4077 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

R. Sammauria ◽

O.P. Meena ◽

M.R. Yadav ◽

A.K. Gupta ◽

H.L. Yadav ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pearl Millet ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Resource Use ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Crop Diversification ◽

Resource Use Efficiency ◽

Cluster Bean ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Semi Arid

Continuous adoption of Pearl millet-Wheat cropping system led to reduction in productivity which put a serious threat to its sustainability in semi-arid eastern plain zone of Rajasthan, India. Crop diversification with wider choice with a variety of crops is being promoted as an alternative to profit maximization with enhanced soil fertility status. Therefore, a long term experiment was initiated to evaluate the production potential, sustainability, resource-use efficiency and economics of nine Pearl millet based cropping systems. Result revealed that system productivity in terms of pearl millet equivalent yield (PMEY) was highest (30488 kg ha-1) with groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion crop rotation. Moreover, groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion recorded the highest SYI and land use efficiency (0.65 and 73.97%) followed by pearl millet-wheat-cluster bean-barley sequence (0.63 and 65.75%). The groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion also generated highest number of man days/ha/year (405). The highest values of organic carbon were found under green gram-mustard-pearl millet-lentil and cluster bean-pea-pearl millet-lentil. The maximum value of available P was recorded with cluster bean-mustard-green gram-garden cress followed by the groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion sequence. Available K decreased significantly from their initial values in all the cropping systems except groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion crop rotation. Among the various systems, groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion realized the highest net returns ( 213000 ha-1), followed by pearl millet-wheat-cluster bean-barley ( 163254 ha-1). Overall, it can be concluded that under the semi-arid agro climatic conditions of Rajasthan, groundnut-wheat-cluster bean-onion, followed by pearl millet-wheat-cluster bean-barley, were more productive, sustainable, resource use efficient and remunerative than other cropping systems.

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Soil and cropping system research in semi-arid West Africa as related to the potential for conservation agriculture

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability ◽

10.1080/14735903.2014.945319 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 120-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Stephen C. Mason ◽

Korodjouma Ouattara ◽

Sibiri Jean-Baptiste Taonda ◽

Siébou Palé ◽

Adama Sohoro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Cropping System ◽

Conservation Agriculture ◽

System Research ◽

Arid West ◽

Semi Arid

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An investigation of reference evapotranspiration trends for crop water requirement estimation in Rajasthan

Journal of Agrometeorology ◽

10.54386/jam.v22i4.447 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 449-456

Author(s):

RANI SAXENA ◽

ATULTIWARI ◽

PRASOON MATHUR ◽

N.V.K. CHAKRAVARTY

Keyword(s):

Reference Evapotranspiration ◽

Cropping System ◽

Least Square ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Study Region ◽

Increasing Trend ◽

The Impact ◽

Near Future ◽

Monteith Equation ◽

Semi Arid

Trends in reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimated using Penman-Monteith equation were analysed over arid, semi-arid and humid regions of northwest (NW) India during 1985–2018. The MannKendall is used to determine significance of trends. Theil-Sen’s estimator and least square linear fitting methods are adopted to find slopes of the trend lines. The results indicated a significant decrease in ETo on annual basis for most of the locations and NW India as a whole. However, the trend was not statisticallysignificant for seasonal ETo. The significant decrease in solar radiation and wind speed nullified the impact of increased temperature and resulted in slight decrease in ETo over arid and semi-arid regions of NW India which could probably be attributed to the increased dust hazy conditions prevailing. In NW India, water is a limiting resource the decrease in ETo may help researchers in decision makers to develop water assets and utilize the irrigation systems more effectively. There was also an increasing trend in production of major crops in the study region. Further, in near future, if this decreasing ETo trend were to remain, it would help in intensification of cropping system with the existing water resource.

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Incorporation of Manure into Ridge and Furrow Planting System Boosts Yields of Maize by Optimizing Soil Moisture and Improving Photosynthesis

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9120865 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 865 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anzhen Qin ◽

Yanjie Fang ◽

Dongfeng Ning ◽

Zhandong Liu ◽

Ben Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Soil Water ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Cropping System ◽

Northwest China ◽

Chemical Fertilizer ◽

Arid Areas ◽

Grain Yields ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Planting System

A sustainable management strategy of soil fertility and cropping system is critical to guaranteeing food security. However, little is known about the effects of soil amendment strategies on crop growth via regulating soil moisture and photosynthesis in a ridge and furrow cropping system. Here, field experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018 in semi-arid areas of Loess Plateau, northwest China to investigate the effects of integrated use of ridge and furrow planting and manure amendment on grain yields of maize. Four treatments were designed: CK (flat planting with 100% chemical fertilizer), RFC (ridge and furrow planting with 100% chemical fertilizer), RFR (ridge and furrow planting with 100% control-released fertilizer), and RFM (ridge and furrow planting with 50% manure fertilizer + 50% N fertilizer). On average, RFM increased photosynthetic rates (Pn) by 74%, followed by RFR by 47%, and RFC by 26%, compared to CK. Also, stomatal conductance (Cd), transpiration rates (Tr), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) were highest with RFM, followed by RFR and RFC. Averaged across the two years, RFM conserved 10% more soil water storage (SWS) than CK did at harvest, followed by RFR with an increment by 8%. However, RFC consumed more soil water than CK did, with its ETc 8% higher than CK. Consequently, spring maize treated with RFM suffered less drought stress, especially in 2017 when precipitation was insufficient. On average, grain yields and water use efficiency of RFM were increased by 18% and 27%, compared to CK. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that there existed significant positive correlation between SWS in top layers and grain yields, while SWS in deep layers had negative effects on grain yields. In conclusion, the incorporation of manure into ridge and furrow planting system can be an efficient agronomic practice to improve plant photosynthesis, optimize soil moisture, and boost grain yields in semi-arid areas of Loess Plateau, northwest China.

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