Conservation agriculture improves soil physical properties and crop productivity: a long-term study in middle Indo-Gangetic Plains of India
K. K. Rao
A * , S. K. Samal B , S. P. Poonia C , Rakesh Kumar A , J. S. Mishra A , B. P. Bhatt A , S. K. Dwivedi A , S. Mondal A , A. K. Choubey A , Santosh Kumar A , Manoj Kumar D , R. K. Malik C and R. C. Dalal E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna 800014, Bihar, India.
B ICAR Mahatma Gandhi Integrated Farming Research Institute, East Champaran, Bihar, India.
C International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Regional Office, Patna 800014, Bihar, India.
D ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, RCM, Darbhanga 846005, Bihar, India.
E The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.
Soil Research 60(6) 442-454 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR20329
Submitted: 24 November 2020 Accepted: 22 June 2021 Published: 26 October 2021
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Conservation agriculture (CA) can potentially arrest deteorating soil fertility and improve crop production in the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.
Methods: A field experiment (ICAR RCER, Patna, India; 2009–2016) tested four common farming practices: S1, a wheat–rice fallow rotation with complete removal of crop residues; S2, best management practices (BMPs) with puddled transplanted rice, drill-seeded wheat in no-tillage (NT), and drill-seeded mungbean in conventional tillage (CT) in a wheat–mungbean–rice rotation where residues were retained on surface in rice and wheat, and residue incorporated in mungbean; S3, CA system in a wheat–cowpea–rice rotation; and S4, BMP intensified and diversified cropping system in a potato + maize–cowpea–rice rotation (unpuddled transplanted rice with dribbled maize + potato, intercropped) in CT and relayed dibbling of cowpea in NT. Full residues of potato and cowpea were incorporated and one-third portion of rice and maize residue were retained on soil.
Key results: After 7 years, S2, S3 and S4 systems lowered soil bulk density and penetration resistance compared to S1. S3 resulted in higher soil macro-aggregates (>0.125 mm) and lower soil micro-aggregates (<0.125 mm). Avoiding tillage in wheat and including a food legume in rotation in S2 increased annual rice equivalent yields by 30.5–34.4%. S4 had the highest water productivity (1.04 kg rice equivalent grain m−3) and S1 had the lowest (0.64 kg rice equivalent grain m−3).
Conclusions and implications: NT and retention of crop residues have potential to improve soil health and monetary gains.
Keywords: aggregate associated carbon, aggregate stability, crop residues, crop rotation, economics, no-tillage, organic carbon stock, water use efficiency.
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