Soil and Water Conservation Measures for Agricultural Sustainability

Limited natural resources are available on the planet under immense pressure due to the ever-increasing population and changing climate. Soil and water are fundamental natural resources for the agricultural production system. Anthropogenic and adverse natural activities are the major factors for the deterioration of natural resources. Among the various degradation processes, soil erosion is one of the serious threats for the deterioration of soil and water resources. In India, about 68.4% of the total land area has been degraded by the water erosion process. Intensive agricultural practices accelerate the soil erosion process. Similarly, increased exploitation of groundwater resulted in depletion of groundwater level. Hence, the holistic management of soil and water resources is indispensable for agricultural sustainability as well as for the protection of the natural ecosystem. Development and adoption of improved technologies, judicious use of natural resources, and effective management practices are the need of the hour for protection of soil and water from degradation. This chapter highlights the status of natural resource degradation, erosion processes and, soil and water conservation strategies for agricultural sustainability and soil health in the long run

Not Available

Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted at New Delhi in rainy (kharif) season of 2013 to study the effect of 2 sources of phosphorus, viz. rock phosphate (RP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), 2 levels of phosphorus viz. 15 and 30 kgP/ha and 2 microbial inoculants viz. phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in different combination along with control on growth, productivity and economics of aerobic rice (Oryza sativa L.). Seed was inoculated with liquid formulation of PSB @ 250 ml/ha before sowing and AMF was applied @ 12 kg/ha in the furrows at the time of sowing. Recommended doses of N (120 kg/ha) and K (40 kg/ha) were applied in all the treatments. Results revealed that plant height, tillers/plant, dry-matter/plant, panicle/plant and yield (5.62 t/ha) of aerobic rice increased significantly due to application of 30 kg P/ha through RP + PSB + AMF. There was significant increase in plant height, tillers, dry-matter, number of panicles and grain yield of aerobic rice with increase in P application rate from 15 kg P/ha to 30 kg P/ha applied either through DAP or RP. The application of 30 kg P/ha through RP + PSB + AMF resulted in highest net return (139.0 × 103 /ha) of aerobic rice.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableSoil fertility and water use are two important aspects that influence rice productivity. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of in-situ (sesbania and rice bean) and ex-situ (subabul) green manuring along with zinc fertilization on water productivity and soil fertility in rice under rice–wheat cropping system at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, NewDelhi, India. Sesbania incorporation recorded higher total water productivity (2.20 and 3.24 kg ha−1 mm−1), available soil nutrients, organic carbon, alkaline phosphatase activity, microbial biomass carbon and increased soil dehydrogenase activity by 39.6 and 26.8% over subabul and rice bean respectively. Among interaction of green manures and zinc fertilization, subabul × foliar application of chelated zincethylenediaminetetraacetic acid at 20, 40, 60 and 80 days after transplanting recorded highest total water productivity (2.56 and 3.79 kg ha−1 mm−1). Foliar application of chelated Zn-EDTA at 20, 40, 60 and 80 days after transplanting recorded significantly higher water productivity than other Zn treatments, however it was statistically similar with foliar application of zinc at active tillering + flowering + grain filling. Sesbania × 5 kg Zn ha−1 through chelated Zn-EDTA, recorded highest available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, manganese, copper and iron than other green manure and Zn fertilization interactions, although it was statistically similar with rice bean × 5 kg Zn ha−1 through chelated Zn-EDTA as soil application. Sesbania × foliar application of 5 kg Zn ha−1 through chelated Zn-EDTA as soil application recorded highest soil enzymatic activities and microbial biomass carbon.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableThe transplanted puddled rice (TPR) is a water, labour and energy intensive practice, and also emits vast amount of green-house gasses (GHG), particularly methane. The water guzzling nature of TPR and escalating labour prices drives towards the search for alternative methods of rice production. Among different methods of rice cultivation, direct-seeded rice (DSR) received much attention in this way; however, major constraints in DSR are identified as poor crop establishment, weed infestation, nematode occurrence and imbalanced nutrient and faulty water management practices. This paper summarises the improved production technologies for DSR viz. precision levelling, early-maturing varieties, seed priming, effective water, nutrient and weed management. It is evident from the review that grain yield, water productivity and net income could be enhanced by laser land levelling as compared to traditional levelling. Alternate wetting and drying method of irrigation in DSR resulted in less water requirement without any yield penalty. Application of Pendimethalin @1 kg a.i. /ha as pre-emergence followed by post-emergence application of bispyribac sodium @ 25g a.i./ha recorded higher grain yield and better weed control efficiency. Use of Trichoderma viride@ 2.5 kg/ha was found effective to control nematode infestation in DSR. Moreover, compared to TPR, DSR had less methane emission and global warming potential. Thus, DSR is a feasible alternative to TPR with a good potential to save water, reduce labour requirement, and to mitigate the climatic risks in Indian agriculture.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableImmensely and unremitting rise in cost of fertilizers bound us to review the different management practices including utilizing crop residues and green manuring with some new findings, which can enhance soil fertility and lower the burden of high cost of cultivation. Approximately 500–550 million tonnes (Mt) crop residues are generated through different crops every year in the country. Traditionally crop residues have various uses such as animal feed, fodder, fuel, roof thatching, packaging and composting. It is estimated that one tone rice residues contains 6.1 kg nitrogen (N), 0.8 kg phosphorus (P), and 11.4 kg potassium (K). Nevertheless, a large part of the residual harvest being handle inappropriately, which fragile the world's food–production and contribute to undesirable bio–spheric changes. Such malpractices are common in developing countries, where only a small amount of residue are being recycled, while unacceptably large amounts are burned. Green manure crops are another important source for recycling of plant nutrients. Incorporation of one tonneSesbania aculeatagreen matter approximately accumulated 30.3 kg N, 7.0 kg P and 13.0 kg K ha–1. Generally farmers are unaware about systematic utilization of crop residues and green manure crops and their usefulness in maintaining soil nutrient balance and overall health, because of which either they keep out themselves from these practices or unable to perform appositely. In this article, efforts were made to quantify residue production by different crops as well as green manure crops, their nutrient compositions, decomposition mechanism of residues in soil and finally we explained the ways and means for crop residue management and green manuring practices for efficient nutrient recycling, supported with findings from our research.Not Availabl

Impact of Live Mulch-Based Conservation Tillage on Soil Properties and Productivity of Summer Maize in Indian Himalayas

Food security and soil sustainability are the prime challenges to researchers and policy planners across the globe. The task is much more daunting in the fragile ecosystem of the Eastern Himalayan region of India. Soil disturbance from conventional tillage reduces soil productivity and is not sustainable and environmentally friendly. Conservation tillage is regarded as the best crop production practice in the Indian Himalayas, where soil is very easily erodible. Zero tillage alone encourages the growth of different species of weed flora in fragile hill ecosystems. However, live mulching of a pulse crop under zero tillage may be a very beneficial practice, as it aids several soil quality benefits and promotes root proliferation with good crop harvest. Hence, a field investigation was carried out for 3 consecutive years to assess the impact of live mulch-based conservation tillage on soil properties and productivity of summer maize. Five tillage practices, viz. no-till (NT), NT and cowpea coculture live mulch (CLM), minimum tillage (MT), MT+CLM, and conventional tillage (CT), were assessed in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results revealed that continuous adoption of MT+CLM had the lowest bulk density (1.31 and 1.37 Mg m−3) and maximum water holding capacity (48.49% and 43.1%) and moisture content (22.4% and 25%) at 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil layers, respectively, after 3 years. The infiltration rate (2.35 mm min−1) was also maximum under MT+CLM, followed by NT+CLM. MT+LMC had 13.8 and 27.15% higher available nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively, than CT at 0–10 cm soil depth. The MT+CLM gave a significantly higher maize grain yield (2.63 Mg ha−1), followed by NT+CLM (2.63 Mg ha−1) over the others. A cowpea green pod yield of 1.65 Mg ha−1 was also obtained from the legume coculture. Thus, the study found that live mulch of cowpea under MT/NT improved soil quality and subsequently led to greater productivity of summer maize in the Himalayan region of India

Intensified cropping reduces soil erosion and improves rainfall partitioning and soil properties in the marginal land of the Indian Himalayas

Environmental crises, land degradation, declining factor productivity, and farm profitability questioned the sustainability of linear economy-based existing agricultural production model. Hence, there is a dire need to design and develop circular economy-based production systems to meet the twin objectives of environmental sustainability and food security. Therefore, the productive capacity, natural resource conserving ability, and biomass recycling potential of four intensified maize-based systems viz. maize (Zea mays) + sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)-wheat, maize + colocasia (Colocasia esculenta)-wheat, maize + turmeric (Curcuma longa), and maize + ginger (Zingiber officinale) were tested consecutively for three years (2020, 2021 and 22) in a fixed plot manner at Dehradun region of the Indian Himalaya against the existing maize-wheat systems. The result showed that the maize + sweet potato-wheat system significantly reduced runoff loss (166.3 mm) over the maize-wheat system. The highest through fall (68.12 %) and the lowest stem flow (23.54 %) were recorded with sole maize. On the contrary, the maize + sweet potato system has the highest stem flow (36.15 %) and the lowest through fall. Similarly, the maize + sweet potato system had 5.6 times lesser soil erosion and 0.77 t ha−1 higher maize productivity over the maize-wheat system. Furthermore, the maize + sweet potato system recorded significantly higher soil moisture (19.3%), infiltration rate (0.95 cm h−1), and organic carbon (0.78%) over the rest of the systems. The maize + sweet potato system also recycled the highest nitrogen (299.2 kg ha−1), phosphorus, (31.0 kg ha−1), and potassium (276.2 kg ha−1) into the soil system. Hence, it can be inferred that concurrent cultivation of sweet potato, with maize, is a soil-supportive, resource-conserving, and productive production model and can be recommended for achieving the circular economy targets in the Indian Himalayas

Not Available

Not AvailableThe Himalayan ecosystem is critical for ecological security and environmental sustainability. However, continuous deforestation is posing a serious threat to Himalayan sustainability. Changing land-use systems exert a tenacious impact on soil carbon (C) dynamics and regulate C emissions from Himalayan ecosystem. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the changes in different C pools and associated soil properties under diverse land-use systems, viz. natural forest, natural grassland, maize field converted from the forest, plantation, and paddy field of temperate Himalaya in the surface (0-20 cm) and subsurface (20-40 cm) soils. The highest total organic carbon (24.24 g kg-1) and Walkley-black carbon contents (18.23 g kg-1), total organic carbon (45.88 Mg ha-1), and Walkley-black carbon stocks (34.50 Mg ha-1) were recorded in natural forest in surface soil (0-20 cm depth), while soil under paddy field had least total organic carbon (36.45 Mg ha-1) and Walkley-black carbon stocks (27.40 Mg ha-1) in surface soil (0-20 cm depth). The conversion of natural forest into paddy land results in 47.36% C losses. Among the cultivated land-use system, minimum C losses (29.0%) from different pools over natural forest system were reported under maize-filed converted from forest system. Land conversion causes more C losses (21.0%) in surface soil (0-20 cm depth) as compared to subsurface soil. Furthermore, conversion of forest land into paddy fields increased soil pH by 5.9% and reduced total nitrogen contents and microbial population by 28.0% and 7.0%, respectively. However, the intensity of total nitrogen and microbial population reduction was the lowest under maize fields converted from the forest system. The study suggested that the conversion of natural forest to agricultural land must be discouraged in the temperate Himalayan region. However, to feed the growing population, converted forest land can be brought under conservation effective maize-based systems to reduce C loss from the intensive land use and contribute to soil quality improvements and climate change mitigation.Not Availabl

Modeling of soil moisture movement and wetting behavior under point-source trickle irrigation

Abstract The design and selection of ideal emitter discharge rates can be aided by accurate information regarding the wetted soil pattern under surface drip irrigation. The current field investigation was conducted in an apple orchard in SKUAST- Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, during 2017–2019. The objective of the experiment was to examine the movement of moisture over time and assess the extent of wetting in both horizontal and vertical directions under point source drip irrigation with discharge rates of 2, 4, and 8 L h−1. At 30, 60, and 120 min since the beginning of irrigation, a soil pit was dug across the length of the wetted area on the surface in order to measure the wetting pattern. For measuring the soil moisture movement and wetted soil width and depth, three replicas of soil samples were collected according to the treatment and the average value were considered. As a result, 54 different experiments were conducted, resulting in the digging of pits [3 emitter discharge rates × 3 application times × 3 replications × 2 (after application and 24 after application)]. This study utilized the Drip-Irriwater model to evaluate and validate the accuracy of predictions of wetting fronts and soil moisture dynamics in both orientations. Results showed that the modeled values were very close to the actual field values, with a mean absolute error of 0.018, a mean bias error of 0.0005, a mean absolute percentage error of 7.3, a root mean square error of 0.023, a Pearson coefficient of 0.951, a coefficient of correlation of 0.918, and a Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient of 0.887. The wetted width just after irrigation was measured at 14.65, 16.65, and 20.62 cm; 16.20, 20.25, and 23.90 cm; and 20.00, 24.50, and 28.81 cm in 2, 4, and 8 L h−1 , at 30, 60, and 120 min, respectively, while the wetted depth was observed 13.10, 16.20, and 20.44 cm; 15.10, 21.50, and 26.00 cm; 19.40, 25.00, and 31.00 cm, respectively. As the flow rate from the emitter increased, the amount of moisture dissemination grew (both immediately and 24 h after irrigation). The soil moisture contents were observed 0.4300, 0.3808, 0.2298, 0.1604, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 just after irrigation in 2 L h−1 while 0.4300, 0.3841, 0.2385, 0.1607, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 4 L h−1 and 0.4300, 0.3852, 0.2417, 0.1608, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 8 L h−1 at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm soil depth in 30 min of application time. Similar distinct increments were found in 60, and 120 min of irrigation. The findings suggest that this simple model, which only requires soil, irrigation, and simulation parameters, is a valuable and practical tool for irrigation design. It provides information on soil wetting patterns and soil moisture distribution under a single emitter, which is important for effectively planning and designing a drip irrigation system. Investigating soil wetting patterns and moisture redistribution in the soil profile under point source drip irrigation helps promote efficient planning and design of a drip irrigation system