scholarly journals Conservation Agriculture: A Way for Soil Water Conservation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Selvakumar ◽  
K. Sivakumar
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
World Population ◽  
Indian Agriculture

World population is going on increasing, it may be 2.4 billion by 2050, but stabilizing the yield of crop is questionable in Indian agriculture due to improper management of agricultural land. Excess tillage accelerate the organic matter oxidation present on the top soil, soil erosion and creates subsurface hard pan. This makes the field unsuitable for cultivation of crops in future. Climate change is worsening the situation by imposing water scarcity in India. So to evade these problems, conservation agriculture is the only way. Main objectives of conservation agriculture is reducing tillage, year round cropping, crop rotation, mulching may be live or residue. Due to reduced mechanical tillage, activity of micro flora and macro flora get increases that improves biological tillage of soil, that in turn improves soil structure and enhances the plant growth. Most of the studies showed that the cost of wheat production and CO2 emission from the field is reduced when conservation agriculture was fallowed in rice-wheat cropping system. Crop rotation and also mixed cropping improves soil fertility and also it reduces soil erosion. It can be a part of climate smart agriculture. It reduces greenhouse gas emission and also it can improve carbon sequestration. Considerably it can save 20-30% of water. 

scholarly journals Conservation Agriculture: An Agroecological Approach to Adapting and Mitigating Climate Change Impacts on Malawi’s Agriculture

2020 ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Adewale M. Ogunmodede
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation

Although Africa’s contribution to the world’s greenhouse gas emission is the smallest compared to other continents, yet they tend to be affected most by the variability in Climate. Malawi is not an exception to this climate change, as they are not just faced with rising temperatures and variable rainfall patterns, but with reoccurring droughts and severe flooding. Agriculture has been noted to contribute significantly to not only climate change but also has significant impacts on global warming through its greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, not all farming systems impact negatively on climate change. Conservation Agriculture is a farming system that encourages no or minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of crop species. These three interlinked principles combined with good agricultural practices promote biodiversity and normal biotic processes, both on and under the ground surface, thereby increasing the productivity and nutrient use efficiency of water, into a more resilient farming system which will help sustain and improve agricultural production. This review looks at Conservation Agriculture practices in the Machinga Agricultural Development Division of Malawi and its role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This paper shows that Conservation Agriculture has played an active role in the adaptation and mitigation of climate change effect by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions but suggested there is a need for the government to formulate a CA framework that is founded on the three interlinked principles and not just based on soil and water conservation principles which are currently being advocated and practised.

scholarly journals Estimation of soil erosion using USLE and GIS in the locality of Tzicatlacoyan, Puebla, México

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Erika María López-García ◽  
Edgardo Torres-Trejo ◽  
Lucia López-Reyes ◽  
Ángel David Flores-Domínguez ◽  
Ricardo Darío Peña-Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Average Annual Rate ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Extreme Risk ◽  
Natural Grasslands

Deforestation and conversion of natural grasslands to agricultural land constitute two of the main threats to soil and water conservation, causing erosion, and likely, desertification. The objective of this study was to estimate the erosion of the soil in the locality of Tzicatlacoyan, applying the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) through Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results indicated that Tzicatlacoyan faces risk of soil erosion with an average annual rate of 117.18 t/ha∙year, due to natural factors and anthropogenic activities such as the use of agricultural land without appropriate conservation practices. Four classes of soil erosion risk were identified, according to the rate of erosion (A) in t/ha∙year: extreme risk (114 ≥ A ≤ 234.36), severe risk (59 ≥ A < 114), moderate risk (23 ≥ A < 59), and low risk (A < 23). Most of the area (180.96 km2, 64.83%) was characterised by the low risk of erosion, while a small part (11.64 km2, 4.17%) of the study area showed extreme risk. The results indicated that 13.33% of the territory of Tzicatlacoyan present values of soil loss exceeding tolerable. The assessment of the soil erosion using the USLE model and GIS might allow land users to make better decisions about the use and conservation of the soil and the ecosystem, adding scientific criteria to their traditional knowledge.

scholarly journals Sistem Alley Cropping: Analisis SWOT dan Strategi Implementasinya di Lahan Kering DAS Hulu

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Ratri Ariani ◽  
Umi Haryati
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Alley Cropping ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Productivity Cost ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Steep Topography ◽  
Cost Efficient

<p><strong>Abstrak</strong>. Ditinjau dari segi luasan, lahan kering di Indonesia merupakan lahan yang cukup potensial, untuk dikembangkan sebagai areal pertanian. Namun usaha pertanian di areal ini dihadapkan pada beberapa kendala, diantaranya karena lahan ini banyak tersebar di daerah pegunungan dengan topografi yang curam sehingga rawan erosi. Untuk itu usahatani konservasi mutlak perlu dilakukan. Teknik konservasi mekanik berupa teras bangku, yang telah banyak dikenal dan diadopsi petani, diyakini dapat menurunkan erosi, namun teknik ini tidak selalu cocok diimplementasikan pada semua kondisi, selain memerlukan biaya yang cukup tinggi. Oleh karena itu, teknik konservasi vegetatif lebih disarankan untuk diapliksikan di areal ini. Sistem pertanaman lorong (alley cropping) merupakan teknik konservasi vegetatif yang telah terbukti efektif mengendalikan erosi dan aliran permukaan (runoff), kehilangan hara, meningkatkan produktivitas tanah dan tanaman, efisien dari segi biaya, serta dapat diadopsi oleh petani berdasarkan hasil-hasil penelitian. Dengan demikian, sistem pertanaman lorong berpeluang untuk dikembangkan di areal lahan kering dengan memperhatikan keunggulan dan kelemahannya. Makalah ini mengemukakan tentang keunggulan dan kelemahan sistem pertanaman lorong serta peluang dan tantangan yang akan dihadapi di dalam implementasinya di lahan kering berdasarkan hasil analisis SWOT (strengths, weeknesses, opportunities, threats). Pengembangan strategi untuk implementasi sistem alley cropping meliputi strategi yang bersifat teknis dan non teknis.</p><p><em><strong>Abstract</strong></em>. In terms of area, upland in Indonesia is a potential land to be developed as an agricultural area. However, this agricultural bussines on this area is faced with several problem, some of them is because the agricultural land is spread in mountainouns area with a steep topography that is easy to erosion, therefore conservation agriculture system is absolutely needed. Mechanical soil conservation techniques such as bench terrace which have been widely known and farmer-friendly are believed to reduce erosion, but this technique is not always suitable to be implemented in all condition other than requiring high cost, therefore vegetative conservation vegetative conservation techniques are more suggested to control erosion in this area. Alley cropping system is a vegetative conservation technique that has been proven effective in controlling erosion and runoff, nutrient loss, increasing land and crop productivity, cost efficient and can be adopted by farmers based on the research results. Thus, the alley cropping system is likely to be developed in upland area with attention to its advantages and disadvantages. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of alley cropping system and the opportunities and challenges that will be faced in its implementation in upland based on SWOT (strengths, weeknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. Development of strategy for implementation of alley cropping system includes technical and non technical strategy.</p><p align="center"><strong> </strong></p>

scholarly journals Water Conservation Methods and Cropping Systems for Increased Productivity and Economic Resilience in Burkina Faso

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamidou Traoré ◽  
Albert Barro ◽  
Djibril Yonli ◽  
Zachary Stewart ◽  
Vara Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Economic Resilience ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
Crop Varieties

Resilience of smallholder farmers in their ability to bounce-back and overcome shocks, such as drought, is critical to ensure a pathway out of hunger and poverty. Efficient water conservation methods that increase rainwater capture and reduce soil erosion such as stone lines and grass bands are two technologies that have been proposed to increase the resilience in Sudano–Sahelian farming systems. In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination. During years when rainfall is well-distributed over time, differences are minimal between fields with water conservation methods and fields without. However, when there are periods of prolonged drought, water conservation methods are effective for increasing soil water, yield, revenue, and resilience. During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1, which amounted to an increase of 58,500 West African CFA franc (CFA) ha−1 (i.e., 98 USD ha−1). The results also suggest that the combination of water conservation method and crop rotation additionally improves cropping system productivity and revenue. Growing cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in rotation with sorghum production provided more options for farmers to increase their income and access to nutrition. This study also sheds light on the limited productivity gains due to improved crop varieties. The local sorghum landrace, Nongomsoba, and the local cowpea variety in rotation resulted in the highest yields as compared to the improved varieties of Sariaso 14 sorghum and KVX 396-4-4 cowpea. Under similar low input/degraded conditions, improved crop varieties likely are not a suitable resilience strategy alone. We conclude that during erratic rainy seasons with frequent periods of drought (i.e., water stress) in rain-fed conditions in Burkina Faso, stone lines or grass bands in combination with sorghum and cowpea rotation are effective practices for increasing resilience of smallholder farmers to maintain crop productivity and revenue. With future and present increases in climate variability due to climate change, stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation will have growing importance as resilience strategies to buffer crop productivity and revenue during periods of drought.

scholarly journals Conservation Agriculture as a System to Enhance Ecosystem Services

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 718
Author(s):  
Somasundaram Jayaraman ◽  
Yash P. Dang ◽  
Anandkumar Naorem ◽  
Kathryn L. Page ◽  
Ram C. Dalal
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Local Conditions

Conservation agriculture (CA) is considered a sustainable practice with the potential to maintain or increase crop productivity and improve environmental quality and ecosystem services. It typically improves soil quality and water conservation; however, its effect on crop productivity is highly variable and dependent on local conditions/management. Crop residue retention plays a crucial role in CA and can help to improve overall soil health and ultimately crop productivity and sustainability. However, weed control, herbicide resistance, and weed shift under residue retained fields is a major challenge. Moreover, CA can increase water infiltration and reduce soil loss and runoff. This reduces the surface transport of nitrate and phosphorus from agricultural fields and the eutrophication of water bodies, although leaching of nitrate to groundwater can potentially increase. In addition, CA has been proposed as one of the components in climate-smart agriculture, owing to its reduced period to seed/plant next crop, reduced soil disturbance and low consumption of fossil fuels. Therefore, compared to the conventional intensive tillage, CA has a greater potential for soil C sequestration, favors higher soil biodiversity, lowers greenhouse gas emission, and can assist in mitigating climate change. However, not all experiments report a positive impact. The understanding and decoding the site-specific complexities of CA system is important and requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Ukrainian Chernozem Fertility Reproduction under Soil Conservation Agriculture

2020 ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
Yu. Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Typical Chernozem ◽  
Degradation Processes ◽  
Biological Potential

In Ukraine 57.5 % of agricultural land is subjected to erosion with 10–24 million tons of humus, 0.3–0.96 million tons of nitrogen, 0.7–0.9 million tons of phosphorus and 6–12 million tons of potassium lost annually. Degradation processes are also common on chernozems, which cover about 60 % of the Ukrainian territory. The aim of the research is to defi ne the most eff ective soil conservation practices and legislative decisions aimed to conservation/recovering the Ukrainian chernozem fertility. The experimental data of the agrochemical certifi cation of Ukrainian lands, data from scientifi c papers, stock and instructional materials as well as our own fi eld and laboratory studies were used. It has been established that the long-term use of deep subsurface tillage on typical chernozem increases, compared with plowing, the content of 10–0.25 mm of air-dry and water-resistant aggregates, the bulk density, soil water storages, water infi ltration rates, the content of mobile phosphorus and exchangeable potassium, pHH2O, CaCO3 stocks, the contents of humic and fulvic acids, molecular weights of humic acids – by 5.5 and 3.06 %; 0.05 g/cm3; 25.5 mm; 22.6 mm/h; 0.1 and 3 mg/100 g of soil; 0.03 pHH2O; 18 t/ha, 0.02 and 0.04 %, 91195 kDa, respectively. Fertilizers may contribute to the crop yields increase from by 60% in the Polissya, by 40 % – in the Forest Steppe, by 15 % – in the Wet Steppe, by 10 % – in the Dry Steppe and by 40 % – in the Irrigated Steppe areas. In soil-conservation rotations, the crop placement and alternation are advisable to combine with strips or hills sowing, taking into account the local relief features; soil alkalinization, applying anti-erosion structures. Ukrainian agriculture will receive additional 10–12 million tons of forage units or 20–22 % from all fodder in a fi eld agriculture under increasing 8–10 % of arable lands for intercrops. It is advisable to mulch the eroded chernozems of Ukraine depending on their texture composition: 1.3 t/ha of mulch for sandy and loamy soils, 1.9 t/ha – for sandy and 1.1 t/ha – for loamy soils. The implementation of soil conservation agriculture can minimize some soil degradation processes and improve eff ective soil properties required to realize the biological potential of cultivated plants. Key words: chernozem, degradation, fertility, soil conservation technologies, agriculture policy.

Assessment of changes in extreme precipitation affecting the degree of soil erosion in crop rotation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.V. Ilinich ◽  
◽  
A.A. Naumova
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Crop Rotations

the presented research is dedicate to confirming the hypothesis about increase in extreme precipitation of recent decades, affecting the degree of soil erosion in crop rotations.

ALLEY CROPPING SYSTEM UNDER CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE PRACTICES IN TAJIKISTAN

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
A. Nurbekov ◽  
L. Xalilova ◽  
B. Isroilov ◽  
U. Xalilov
Keyword(s):  
Alley Cropping ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture

APPLICATION OF THE INTENSIVE CROP GROWING TECHNOLOGIES IN CROP ROTATION IS THE STABILITY CONDITION OF THE HUMUS CONTENT OF SOIL

1970 ◽  
pp. 52-56
Author(s):  
V. А. Shchedrin
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Humus Content ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Investment Project ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Labile Phosphorus

In OOO “Dubovitskoe” which was organized in 2006 as investment project of the AO “Shchelkovo Agrokhim” for 2010 – 2012 three advanced crop rotations have been developed. Before their introduction the grain crops fraction in the cropping system was 62%, then it fell to 49%. At the same time the portion of raw crops increased from 15 to 20%, legumes from 6 to 8%, others (buckwheat, grain maize, etc.) - up to 23%. As of 2017, the crops of leguminous crops have increased noteworthily. There are two predominant soil types here heavy clay loam podzolized chernozem (6615 ha) and grey forest soil (856 ha). Weighted average indicators (as of 2017): humus content in the soils of arable land is 5, 34%; acidity pH is 4.92; labile phosphorus - 111.8 mg / kg soil; exchange potassium - 144 mg / kg soil. The coefficient of the soil fertility in the enterprise (weighted average) is 0.66. This means that maintaining and increasing the soil fertility for arable land of the enterprise is critical task. As a result of the research, it has been established that the technologies introduced in the crop vegetation management (CVS) in the crop rotation conditions ensure high productivity of cultivated crops and stability of humus content in soils as an energy basis and a guarantor of increasing fertility. The indicators of the labile phosphorus Р205 and exchange potassium К20 in the soils depending on the crop rotation vary from a certain decrease to expressed steady growth. Therefore it is necessary to specify seeding rates based on actual data. Sustainable soil acidification in the crop rotations under crop cultivation in OOO “Dubovitskoe” it is the result of the acid feterlizers high rates application, during studying period did not carried out required agromelioration with calcium contenting elements.

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