Impact of Conservation Agriculture and Cropping System On Soil Organic Carbon and Its Fractions in Alluvial Soils of Eastern Gangetic Plains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh S ◽  
Abhas K Sinha ◽  
Mahesh Kumar Gathala ◽  
Menzies ◽  
Sudarshan Dutta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose A conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI) practices have been proposed as a potential alternative management strategy for achieving the food, water and energy security while sustaining the soil health and climate resilience. In this study, we evaluate the performance of CASI technologies under two cropping systems on carbon (C) dynamics in the soils of recent and old alluvial nature of West Bengal in Eastern Alluvial Ganga Plains. Methods The on-farm field study was undertaken for four years during 2014-15 to 2018-19 with an objective of long-term setup at Coochbehar and Malda districts, West Bengal (subtropical eastern India). The two cropping systems (rice-wheat, RW and rice-maize, RM) and two tillage options (zero tillage, ZT and conventional tillage, CT) were evaluated on multi-location at farmers’ field to see the impact on soil total organic carbon (TOC) and its fractions, stratification, and stocks. Results About 20% higher TOC concentration was observed in the old alluvial soils (Inceptisols of Malda district) as compared to recent alluvial soils (Entisols of Coochbehar district). TOC and its fractions significantly (p<0.05) improved under RM cropping system than that under RW. The ZT system enhanced the TOC and its fractions by 16.8 and 9.8 % over CT at 0–5 and 5–10 cm respectively. All the C fractions showed strong positive correlation (r= >0.85; p < 0.01) with TOC except POC. Conclusions Our research indicated that ZT system increased the C turnover rate in both soil types which was found more prominent in RM system.

scholarly journals Soil organic carbon and labile and recalcitrant carbon fractions attributed by contrasting tillage and cropping systems in old and recent alluvial soils of subtropical eastern India

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0259645
Author(s):  
Rakesh S. ◽  
Deepranjan Sarkar ◽  
Abhas Kumar Sinha ◽  
Subhan Danish ◽  
Prateek Madhab Bhattacharya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Recalcitrant Carbon ◽  
Labile Pool ◽  
Residue Biomass

Conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI) technologies comprising zero-tillage with crop residue retention (>30%) on the soil surface, diversified cropping systems, and balanced nutrient management are recognized as operative and efficacious strategies to ensure food security in the parts of South Asia. The present investigation was a component of CASI technologies undertaken in the farmers’ field of Malda (old alluvial Inceptisol) Coochbehar (recent alluvial Entisol) district, West Bengal (subtropical eastern India). This study was conducted to evaluate the short-term impact of contrasting tillage (zero and conventional) and cropping systems (rice–wheat and rice–maize) on total organic carbon (TOC) and its fractions, viz., labile pool-1 (LP1), labile pool-2 (LP2) and recalcitrant carbon (RC) fractions after 4-year trial of conservation agriculture (CA) in the old and recent alluvial soils. Soil samples were collected from three depths (0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm), and thus, our study was focused on two factors, viz., cropping system and tillage. Results pointed that TOC along with LP1, LP2, and RC fractions under rice–maize (RM) cropping system were significantly (p<0.05) greater (15–35%) over rice–wheat (RW) system as a result of higher residue biomass addition. Zero-tillage (ZT) improved the C fractions by 10–20% over conventional tillage (CT) in all aspects. TOC and its fractions were observed to be greater under the ZT system in the topmost soil depths (0–5 and 5–10 cm), but the same system failed to improve these at 10–20 cm. Interestingly, the CT increased all the fractions at 10–20 cm depth due to the incorporation of crop residues. The concentration of TOC along with its fractions decreased with increasing soil depth was evident. Comparatively, all the C fractions, including TOC were maximum in soils from Malda sites as compared to Coochbehar sites because of a higher amount of residue biomass application, higher clay content, and greater background content of C in these soils. All the studied C fractions showed a significant correlation (r = >0.635; p<0.01) with TOC among all the soil depths in both the districts but the relationship with soil texture showed some interesting results. TOC fractions were significantly correlated (p<0.01) with clay particles indicating that its higher stabilization with clay in old alluvial Inceptisol (Malda); while in recent alluvial Entisol (Coochbehar), sand particle showed its strong relation with TOC fractions. Higher stratification ratio (SR) in the ZT system suggested that the concentration of TOC and its fractions are confined to the upper soil layers whereas in the case of CT, by and large, the distribution of these was comparatively high in subsequent soil depths due to residue incorporation effect. The concentration of C fractions in soils followed the order: TOC > RC > LP2 > LP1. The present investigation concluded that ZT under the RM system increases the turnover rates of C in both soil types but the amount of clay influences the stabilization/storage of C.

scholarly journals Effects of conservation agriculture on productivity and Economics of maize-wheat based cropping systems in midwestern Nepal

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63
Author(s):  
K Pariyar ◽  
A Chaudhary ◽  
P Sapkota ◽  
S Sharma ◽  
CB Rana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Equivalent Yield

The effects of two tillage methods (zero tillage and conventional tillage), two residue managements (residue kept and residue removed) and two levels of cropping system (maize + soybean and sole maize) were studied over 3 years (2015-2017) at Dailekh district of Nepal. Arun-2 and Puja were the varieties of maize and soybean used respectively, followed by winter wheat. The results revealed that the maize + soybean system had significantly higher plant population and ear population (34.83 thousands ha-1 and 34.35 thousands ha-1, respectively), grains per row (37.1), ear length (16.6 cm) and 20.5% higher grain yield as compared to sole maize. The highest maize equivalent yield (7.92 t ha-1) was recorded in maize + soybean as compared to the lower grain yield equivalent (7.06 t ha-1) in sole maize. Zero tillage accounted relatively higher benefits (high net income and B:C ratio) as compared to conventional tillage. The residue kept plot resulted significantly higher B:C ratio (2.41) than the residue removed (2.11) and the maize + soybean recorded 82.5% greater B:C ratio compared to sole maize. Net annual income was significantly higher in zero tillage, residue kept and maize + soybean system (NRs. 223072.00, 222958.00 and 269016.00 ha-1 respectively). Such combinations are recommended for Dailekh district of Nepal to have profitable crop productivity. SAARC J. Agri., 17(1): 49-63 (2019)

Contrasting agricultural management effects on soil organic carbon dynamics between topsoil and subsoil

Soil Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Yui Osanai ◽  
Oliver Knox ◽  
Gunasekhar Nachimuthu ◽  
Brian Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Soc Stock ◽  
The Impact

Agricultural practices (e.g. tillage, crop rotation and fertiliser application) have a strong influence on the balance between carbon (C) input and output by altering physicochemical and microbial properties that control decomposition processes in the soil. Recent studies suggest that the mechanisms by which agricultural practice impacts soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in the topsoil may not be the same as those in the subsoil. Here, we assessed SOC stock, soil organic fractions and nitrogen availability to 1.0 m in soils under a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)-based cropping system, and assessed the impact of agricultural management (three historical cropping systems with or without maize (Zea mays L.) rotation) on SOC storage. We found that the maize rotation and changes in the particulate organic fraction influenced SOC stock in the topsoil, although the overall change in SOC stock was small. The large increase in subsoil SOC stock (by 31%) was dominated by changes in the mineral-associated organic fraction, which were influenced by historical cropping systems and recent maize rotation directly and indirectly via changes in soil nitrogen availability. The strong direct effect of maize rotation on SOC stock, particularly in the subsoil, suggests that the direct transfer of C into the subsoil SOC pool may dominate C dynamics in this cropping system. Therefore, agricultural management that affects the movement of C within the soil profile (e.g. changes in soil physical properties) could have a significant consequence for subsoil C storage.

scholarly journals Improvement of Soil Health and System Productivity through Crop Diversification and Residue Incorporation under Jute-Based Different Cropping Systems

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1622
Author(s):  
Mukesh Kumar ◽  
Sabyasachi Mitra ◽  
Sonali Paul Mazumdar ◽  
Bijan Majumdar ◽  
Amit Ranjan Saha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Data Set ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Residue Incorporation ◽  
The Impact

Crop diversity through residue incorporation is the most important method for sustaining soil health. A field study was conducted over five consecutive years (2012–2017) to see the impact of residue incorporartions in Inceptisol of eastern India. The main plot treatments had five cropping systems (CS), namely, fallow−rice−rice (FRR), jute−rice−wheat (JRW), jute−rice−baby corn (JRBc), jute−rice−vegetable pea (JRGp), jute−rice−mustard−mungbean/green gram (JRMMu), which cinsisted of four sub-plots with varied nutrient and crop residue management (NCRM) levels, namely crops with no residue +75% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (F1R0), crops with the residue of the previous crops +75% RDF (F1R1), crops with no resiude +100% RDF (F2R0), and crops with residue +100% RDF (F2R1). The highest system productivity was obtained for JRBc (15.3 Mg·ha−1), followed by JRGp (8.81 Mg·ha−1) and JRMMu (7.61 Mg·ha−1); however, the highest sustainability index was found with the JRGp cropping system (0.88), followed by JRMMu (0.82). Among the NCRMs, the highest productivity (8.78 Mg·ha−1) and sustainability index (0.83) were recorded in F2R1. Five soil parameters, namely, bulk density, available K, urease activity, dehydrogenase activity, and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), were used in the minimum data-set (MDS) for the calculation of the soil quality index (SQI). The best attainment of SQI was found in the JRGp system (0.63), closely followed by the JRMMu (0.61) cropping system.

scholarly journals SOCIOECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF NO-TILL IN WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY IN ALGERIA

New Medit ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Rouabhi ◽  
Abdelmalek Laouar ◽  
Abdelhamid Mekhlouk ◽  
Boubaker Dhehibi
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Work Time ◽  
System A ◽  
No Till

This paper aimed at the socioeconomic appraisal of two cropping systems namely no-till and tilled wheat in Sétif region (Algeria). The study based on a sample of 28 adherent farms in an international project of Conservation Agriculture adoption for smallholders in North Africa. Economic diagnosis showed that no-till system performed best with a gross margin difference of $ 84/ha in comparison with conventional tilled wheat. Moreover, no-till recorded less work time and fuel consumption, with 241minutes/ha and 42 liters/ha against 624 minutes/ha and 99 liters/ha for conventional tillage. Though, no-till still faced some local social and technical constraints that are relatively easy to overcome. If Algeria put forward its best efforts through increasing no-till in the suitable zones, many objectives could be achieved in the context of preserving natural resources and building up farming sustainability. It could be also a key solution for “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution” (INDCs) schemes to meet Algerian commitments regarding “Paris Agreement” on climate change.

scholarly journals Measuring and Monitoring the Impact of Precision Land Levelling and Arable Cropping Systems on Aggregate Associated Carbon Fractions and Soil Carbon Stock in Sub-tropical Ecosystems

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-220
Author(s):  
R. K. Naresh ◽  
Yogesh Kumar ◽  
S. S. Tomar ◽  
Mukesh Kumar ◽  
M. Sharath Chandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Energy Productivity ◽  
Tropical Ecosystems ◽  
Carbon Fractions ◽  
The Impact

The Long term experiment (2009-10 to-2018-19) was conducted to study the effects of precision land levelled (PLL) versus traditional land levelled (TLL) systems on aggregate-associated soil organic carbon (SOC) in a farmers participatory fields under sub-tropical ecosystems (Western Uttar Pradesh) of Indian conditions. The significance of this study mainly focus to determine the suitability of various labile carbon fractions as indicators of soil quality and the stability of aggregates plays a vital role in preserving and long term storing of soil organic carbon by implementing Precision Land Levelling under various arable cropping system. The treatment comprised of sixteen alternative arable cropping systems strategies viz. R-WPLL, R-WTLL, S-WPLL, S-WTLL, R-P-MbPLL, R-P-MbTLL, R-P-OPLL, R-P-OTLL, R-C-OPLL, R-C-OTLL, O-W-MbPLL, O-W-MbTLL, M-W-MbPLL, M-W-MbTLL, M-P-MbPLL, and M-P-MbTLL etc were taken with recommended dose of fertilizers and various observations were recorded. The results indicated that the M-P-MbPLL produced 79.5 kgha-1day-1 productivity and used only 110 cm irrigation water which was 48.1 per cent less than irrigation water used for R-WPLL. The land use efficiency under R-P-MbPLL, R-P-OPLL, R-P-MbPLL, R-C-OPLL and M-P-MbPLL were recorded as 86.2, 85.1, 84.8, 84.6 and 83.9%. However, energy value in terms total input energy and energy productivity were 39.9 and 218.5 GJ ha-1 over existing R-W system (32.9 & 105.7 GJ ha-1). The quantity of water used in the R-C-O, M-W-Mb, M-P-Mb, and O-W-Mb were 46.1, 44.9, 40.1 and 36.3 per cent less than quantity of water used for R-W system. Aggregate-associated SOC contents in 0-15 cm depth were recorded highest SOC at 15-30 cm depth in PLL systems as 9.4% for both M-P-MbPLL and M-W-MbPLL. Highest PON change in arable cropping system (30.9 & 40.1%) was found in O-W-Mb with precision land levelling (T11) plots followed by R-P-O with precision land levelling (T7) plots (26.1 & 35.8%) as compared to R-W and S-W system. The values of LFOC in surface soil were 194.7, 187.9, 176.2, 170.9, 168.5, 150.6, 132.8 and 123.8 mgkg−1 in R-P-O, R-C-O, M-W-Mb, O-W-Mb, M-P-Mb, R-P-Mb, R-W and S-W with precision land levelling treatments. Higher SOC sequestration was observed with precision land leveling along with alternative arable cropping systems with O-W-MbPLL, R-C-OPLL, R-P-OPLL, O-W-MbPLL and M-P-MbPLL respectively. Therefore, PLL systems had greater soil surface aggregation and carbon storage, land levelling did not affect SOC patterns across aggregates, but changed the distribution of aggregate size, reflecting that land levelling mainly influenced soil fertility by altering soil structure.

scholarly journals Physiological and biochemical evaluation of varagu with blackgram intercropping competition and yield advantage

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-154
Author(s):  
K. Ananthi ◽  
P. Parasuraman
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Biological Nitrogen ◽  
The Impact

Intercropping increases in productivity per unit of land via better utilisation of resources, minimises the risks, reduces weed competition and stabilizes the yield. Many intercropping systems have proved to be better than sole crops in terms of yield because intercropping makes better use of one or more agricultural resources both in time and in space. The beneficial effect of pulse crops is improving soil health in the form of biological nitrogen fixation, leaf fall, addition of considerable amount of organic matter through root biomass, improving microbial biomass and they keep soil productive and alive by bringing qualitative changes in physical, chemical and biological properties and sustaining productivity. The principal advantage of intercropping system is the more efficient utilization of soil, water, nutrient and increased productivity compared with each sole crop under rainfed and irrigated ecosystem. Choice of ecologically sound crops as millets and adoption of intercropping systems are two of suitable options for maximization of productivity in drylands cropping system due to the reason that competition of plant could be minimized not only by spatial arrangement, but also by combining those crops which have best able to exploit soil nutrients. A field study was scheduled to estimate the impact of intercropping varagu with greengram and blackgram cropping system under rain-fed situation onleaf area, leaf area index, specific leaf weight, crop growth rate, chlorophyll content, no. of tillers per plant and grain yield at Centre of Excellence in Millets, Athiyandal, Tiruvannamalai. It was done in Kharif, 2018 and 2019. Randomized Block Design was used to conduct this experiment. It has three replications. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare varagu with blackgram and greengram inter cropping effects, as well as reveal which intercrops better adopts to rainfed cropping systems using these parameters to improve water use efficiency in the production. Highest returns were obtained from Sole Varagu with blackgram (1:1) due to greater productivity under this treatment with comparable cost of cultivation.

scholarly journals Conservation agriculture-impact on the productivity and economy of various cropping systems of Central India

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1&2) ◽  
pp. 41-44
Author(s):  
Ashish Tiwari ◽  
Anay Rawat ◽  
K.K Agrawal ◽  
Sidarth Nayak
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Central India ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Recommended Dose ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Economic Point

Present field research work of different resource conservation practices on cropping systems was studied in both the season i.e. Kharif and Rabi season during 2010- 2012 at Research Farm, J.N. KrishiVishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (M.P). Research Farm of Kymore plateau and Satpura hill region of Madhya Pradesh which is located at Central India. Results received from the experiment indicated that the Conventional tillage has demonstrated its supremacy over limited tillage with more total production in terms of rice equivalent yield (REY) and economic point of view. The mulch application significantly promotes the production of the tillage system without the mulch, but no mulch has a higher Net Monetary Return (NMR) than the applied mulch. The application of recommended dose of fertilizers, in which 25% Nitrogen supplied through organic sources resulted in greater total production in term of REY of cropping system of the area than the recommended dose of fertilizers alone, but economically greater Net Monetary Returns was observed in 100% recommended dose of fertilizers. The existing cropping system Rice-Berseem purely not only gave higher total production in term of REY, but the most selective choice for the conservation of resource in the Kymore plateau region, and fetched the maximum NMR and B:C  ratio.

scholarly journals The crucial role of mulch to enhance the stability and resilience of cropping systems in southern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mhlanga ◽  
Laura Ercoli ◽  
Elisa Pellegrino ◽  
Andrea Onofri ◽  
Christian Thierfelder
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Yield Stability ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Stability And Resilience

AbstractConservation agriculture has been promoted to sustainably intensify food production in smallholder farming systems in southern Africa. However, farmers have rarely fully implemented all its components, resulting in different combinations of no-tillage, crop rotation, and permanent soil cover being practiced, thus resulting in variable yield responses depending on climatic and soil conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the effect of conservation agriculture components on yield stability. We hypothesized that the use of all three conservation agriculture components would perform the best, resulting in more stable production in all environments. We evaluated at, eight trial locations across southern Africa, how partial and full implementation of these components affected crop yield and yield stability compared with conventional tillage alone or combined with mulching and/or crop rotation. Grain yield and shoot biomass of maize and cowpea were recorded along with precipitation for 2 to 5 years. Across different environments, the addition of crop rotation and mulch to no-tillage increased maize grain by 6%, and the same practices added to conventional tillage led to 13% yield increase. Conversely, adding only mulch or crop rotation to no-tillage or conventional tillage led to lower or equal maize yield. Stability analyses based on Shukla’s index showed for the first time that the most stable systems are those in which mulch is added without crop rotation. Moreover, the highest yielding systems were the least stable. Finally, additive main effects and multiplicative interaction analysis allowed clarifying that mulch added to no-tillage gives stable yields on sandy soil with high rainfall. Similarly, mulch added to conventional tillage gives stable yield on sandy soil, but under low rainfall. This is the first study that highlighted the crucial role of mulch to enhance the stability and resilience of cropping systems in southern Africa, supporting their adaptability to climate change.

scholarly journals Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Semi-Arid Irrigated Cropping Systems

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 484
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Bierer ◽  
April B. Leytem ◽  
Robert S. Dungan ◽  
Amber D. Moore ◽  
David L. Bjorneberg
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Dndc Model ◽  
Application Timing ◽  
Winter Triticale ◽  
Semi Arid

Insufficient characterization of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in semi-arid climates contributes uncertainty to SOC sequestration estimates. This study estimated changes in SOC (0–30 cm depth) due to variations in manure management, tillage regime, winter cover crop, and crop rotation in southern Idaho (USA). Empirical data were used to drive the Denitrification Decomposition (DNDC) model in a “default” and calibrated capacity and forecast SOC levels until 2050. Empirical data indicates: (i) no effect (p = 0.51) of winter triticale on SOC after 3 years; (ii) SOC accumulation (0.6 ± 0.5 Mg ha–1 year–1) under a rotation of corn-barley-alfalfax3 and no change (p = 0.905) in a rotation of wheat-potato-barley-sugarbeet; (iii) manure applied annually at rate 1X is not significantly different (p = 0.75) from biennial application at rate 2X; and (iv) no significant effect of manure application timing (p = 0.41, fall vs. spring). The DNDC model simulated empirical SOC and biomass C measurements adequately in a default capacity, yet specific issues were encountered. By 2050, model forecasting suggested: (i) triticale cover resulted in SOC accrual (0.05–0.27 Mg ha–1 year–1); (ii) when manure is applied, conventional tillage regimes are favored; and (iii) manure applied treatments accrue SOC suggesting a quadratic relationship (all R2 > 0.85 and all p < 0.0001), yet saturation behavior was not realized when extending the simulation to 2100. It is possible that under very large C inputs that C sequestration is favored by DNDC which may influence “NetZero” C initiatives.

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