Assessment of conservation agriculture on soil nutrient's stratification ratio, carbon sequestration rate, management indices and crop productivity in Southern Telangana India
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Zero tillage with crop residue retention and integrated weed management practices significantly improve soil health, carbon sequestration, and maize yield in the Southern Telangana Zone. These sustainable farming methods offer a viable solution for enhancing agricultural productivity.
Area Of Science
- Agricultural Science
- Soil Science
- Agronomy
Background
- Industrial farming practices threaten soil resources and food production globally, particularly in regions like the Southern Telangana Zone (STZ), India.
- Degradation of soil necessitates the adoption of soil resource-saving agricultural systems to ensure long-term sustainability.
- The cotton-maize-Sesbania rostrata cropping system is prevalent, making its soil management crucial.
Purpose Of The Study
- To assess the impact of different tillage and weed management practices on soil properties.
- To evaluate effects on soil nutrient stratification ratio (SR), carbon sequestration rate (CSR), carbon management indices (CMI), and carbon retention efficiency (CRE).
- To monitor the grain yield of maize under these contrasting management systems over three years.
Main Methods
- Experiment conducted in the Southern Telangana Zone using a cotton-maize-Sesbania rostrata cropping system under conservation agriculture (CA).
- Three tillage practices were tested: T1 (Conventional tillage), T2 (Conventional-Zero tillage), and T3 (Zero tillage with residue retention).
- Four weed management tactics were applied: W1 (Chemical), W2 (Herbicide rotation), W3 (Integrated Weed Management - IWM), and W4 (Hand-weeded control).
- Soil samples (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) analyzed for pH, EC, macronutrients, and soil organic carbon (SOC).
- Calculations included SR, CSR, CMI, and CRE.
Main Results
- Zero tillage with residue retention (T3) showed higher SOC (15.3%), available N (15.1%), available P (19.6%), and SOC SR (1.20) in the 0-15 cm layer compared to conventional tillage (T1).
- T3 also resulted in significantly higher cumulative CSR (58.1% in 0-30 cm), CRE (58.8% in 0-30 cm), and CMI (30.3% in 15-30 cm) versus T1.
- The passive pool of carbon (C_PSV) was the dominant contributor to total SOC.
- Maize kernel yield was 11.6% higher under T3 compared to T1.
- Kernel yield increased by 23.4-43.1% under chemical weed control, herbicide rotation, and IWM (W1, W2, W3) compared to hand-weeded control (W4).
Conclusions
- Adoption of zero tillage (ZT) with crop residue retention is a viable strategy for enhancing soil health in the STZ.
- Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and chemical/herbicide-based weed control methods significantly boost crop productivity.
- Sustainable practices like ZT and IWM are crucial for improving soil health and crop yields in the cotton-maize-Sesbania rostrata system.
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