Gora, M K and Jat, H S and Ladha, J K and Choudhary, M and Sharma, P C and Yadav, A K and Singh, L K and Sapkota, T B and Singh, Y and Prajapat, K and Yadav, R K and Jat, M L and Krupnik, T J and Gathala, M K (2024) Enhancing productivity, soil health, and reducing global warming potential through diverse conservation agriculture cropping systems in India’s Western Indo-Gangetic Plains. Field Crops Research (TSI), 315. pp. 1-15. ISSN 0378-4290
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Abstract
Context The rice-wheat (RW) system, spanning 13.5 million hectares in South Asia, is crucial for food security and livelihoods. However, intensive conventional tillage-based practices have harmed soil and environmental health, decreased productivity trends and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Objective This study aims to develop resilient, climate-smart cropping systems within the RW system, focusing on soil and crop productivity, economic viability, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Methods Over eight years, the study evaluated diverse parameters compared to farmer practices (FP) in seven scenarios (Sc), including one representing FP (Sc1) and six based on conservation agriculture (CA) principles. The study assessed system crop productivity, economic returns, soil quality (organic carbon; OC, nitrogen; N, phosphorus; P, potassium; K contents, bulk density; BD, soil aggregation, infiltration rates, microbial counts, and earthworm density), and GHG emissions. Results CA-based scenarios (Sc2 to Sc7) showed improved soil quality, lower bulk density, enhanced soil aggregation, and increased infiltration rates compared to Sc1. In the 0–15 cm layer, surface soil organic carbon (OC) and C stock were 63.7 % and 49.6 % higher, respectively, in CA-based scenarios. Additionally, available N, P and K contents in the surface layer increased by 10.2 %, 28.6 %, and 21.8 % under CA-based scenarios. Adoption of CA in intensified maize-based scenarios (Sc4 and Sc5) led to the increased system and economic yields, higher soil quality index (SQI), reduced GHG emissions and increased C stock compared to Sc1. Implications The study highlights that Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices and diversified crop rotations can address issues like falling crop productivity, reduced economic returns, soil degradation, and increasing environmental impacts in northwestern India's traditional rice-wheat system. However, widespread adoption requires government policies, including C credit payments and guaranteed markets with supportive pricing.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Global Research Program - Resilient Farm and Food Systems |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Crop diversification, Crop rotations, Greenhouse gas emissions, Indo-Gangetic Plains, Rice-wheat system, Soil quality |
| Subjects: | Others > Agriculture Others > Soil Others > Cropping and Farming Systems |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2024 03:38 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Jul 2024 03:38 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/12730 |
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/... |
| Projects: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Acknowledgement: | The authors acknowledge the support from the ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, and CIMMYT. The authors sincerely thank the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for Window-3 Funding to CIMMYT for Conservation Agriculture Research and The One CGIAR Integrated Regional Initiatives Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA; https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/20-transforming-agrifood-systems-in -south-asia-tafssa). The authors also thank the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA; https://csisa.org/) for receiving the technical support). |
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