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Weeds are unwanted and undesirable plants that interfere with cultivated crops for utilization of natural resources such as nutrients, water, and light, space, causing harbor of insect pests and disease adverse allelopathic effects and increasing cost of production indirectly, reducing crop yield. India is an agrarian country, where cropping systems form the backbone of Indian agriculture. Every cropping system has its associated weeds, and to manage these weeds requires a specific crop management approach. The main rice-based cropping systems in India, such as rice-wheat, rice-rice, rice-pulse, rice-maize, and rice-oilseed, have been pivotal in ensuring food security. However, these systems face significant challenges due to weed infestations, leading to yield losses ranging from 13% to 97%. Weeds like grass, sedge and broad-leaf weed varieties pose a substantial threat to these crops, particularly in direct-seeded conditions. To manage weeds effectively, various approaches are employed, including crop rotation, tillage, herbicide application, and intercropping. For instance, in rice-wheat systems, zero-tillage practices, crop residue mulch, and early sowing help to reduce weed emergence. In rice-pulse systems, pre-emergence herbicides, hand weeding, and intercropping prove effective. Maize-based systems benefit from tillage, mulching, and planting at closer spacing. Weed management is critical to sustaining rice-based cropping systems and ensuring food security in India. Tailored strategies that consider crop-specific challenges are essential to mitigate yield losses and maintain agricultural productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The above‐ground community dynamics of weeds represent the soil weed seedbank in an agro‐ecosystem. Hence, understanding the seedbank will offer an idea for future weed management tactics. We aimed to determine the density of weed seedbank and emergence of major weeds in direct seeded rice (DSR) (Oryza sativa L.)—mustard (Brassica campestris L. var. yellow sarson) cropping sequence under varied tillage and herbicide combinations. The present study on weed seedbank was conducted using seedling emergence method after collecting the soils at the harvest of mustard at the completion of 2 years field experimentation. The experiment was conducted in split‐plot design with two tillage practices [zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT)] in main plot and eight weed management practices in DSR [oxadiargyl followed by (fb) bispyribac‐sodium, penoxsulam + cyhalofop‐butyl, oxadiargyl fb penoxsulam + cyhalofop‐butyl, fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl + ethoxysulfuron, oxadiargyl fb fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl + ethoxysulfuron, pendimethalin fb bispyribac‐sodium, unweeded control, and weed free check] as subplot. The carry‐over effect of tillage and weed management practices were recorded in mustard crop. Seed emergence study revealed that ZT reduced the emergence of grassy weeds (by 13.7%) and total weed emergence (19.5%) in comparison to the CT (p < 0.05). However, emergence of broadleaf weeds was 24.5% higher in ZT than in CT. The higher infestation was recorded for Ludwigia parviflora (Jacq.) Raven under penoxsulam + cyhalofop‐butyl, fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl + ethoxysulfuron, Cyperus iria (L.) under fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl + ethoxysulfuron, and Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. under pendimethalin fb bispyribac‐sodium, oxadiargyl fb bispyribac‐sodium. Sole application of post‐emergence (POE) herbicide decreased the total weed emergence by 22.2%–28.1% than unweeded control (p < 0.05). Whereas, sequential application of PRE + POE herbicides decreased the total weed emergence by 32.8%–36.9% than unweeded control (p < 0.05). Notably, sedge weeds such as Cyperus iria (L.) and Fimbristylis miliacea (L.) Vahl were lower in ZT than in CT under herbicide treated plots (by 66.6%–84.3%) than unweeded control. Thus, ZT with oxadiargyl 90 g a.i. ha−1fb fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl + ethoxysulfuron (90 + 15 g a.i. ha−1) as tank‐mix can be effectively used to lower the weed seedbank density vis‐à‐vis managing complex weed flora in DSR and rice‐mustard cropping sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Crop diversification is a promising practice to improve the sustainability of agricultural production systems, contributing to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functions, and food security without compromising productivity. Although diverse cropping systems may be more labour-intensive and require good knowledge of the specific cropping system in the local context, they have high potential in managing many of the problems faced in current cotton production in India. However, the adoption of crop diversification is still moderate, with an overall crop diversification index (CDI) of 0.65 for all of India and state-wise CDI between 0.43 and 0.83. Methods: Therefore, a four-phased study was conducted to identify the main barriers to crop diversification in cotton-based farming systems in India and highlight levers that can foster their wide adoption to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The study was carried out between January to October 2020 and consisted of i) a literature review of regional and national policy and planning, ii) situational analysis with a problem tree approach, iii) individual stakeholder interviews with stakeholders from the broader Indian cotton sector, and iv) a participatory feedback workshop with said stakeholders. A total of 51 stakeholders from 24 different organizations were interviewed, 37 of them on technical aspects of crop diversification and 21 stakeholders on market and policy aspects. The same stakeholders were invited to the participatory feedback workshop, where 26 participated in the session on different benefits of crop diversification practices, and the session on market and policy challenges counted 24 participants. The study focused on the main organic cotton producing states in India: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Results and discussion: In our study, it became evident that many policies and governmental schemes exist to promote national food security, sustainable agriculture, and agricultural marketing infrastructure, but crop diversification is still not gaining momentum on the ground. Various levers were identified in the areas of market and procurement, capacity building and knowledge transfer, supply industry and infrastructure, and farmers and women empowerment, where the current policy landscape is failing to foster crop diversification effectively on the farm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A significant impediment to the advancement of animal husbandry in India is the insufficient availability of green fodder throughout the year. The nutritive quality of forages is heavily influenced by farm-level management practices. Consequently, there is a pressing need to enhance productivity through the implementation of proper agronomic practices. The nutrient management in fodder-based cropping sequence is a key to maximize the fodder production and its quality. Methods: A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design, consisting of twelve treatments incorporating various organic sources of nutrients. The experiment was replicated thrice during Kharif and Rabi season 2020-22 at Department of Forage Crops, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The treatments included different proportions (100, 75, 50 and 25%) of the recommended dose of nitrogen applied through FYM, vermicompost and bio compost. Result: The experiment results of the three years study revealed that application of 50% RDN through FYM+ 50% RDN through vermicompost recorded the higher green fodder yield of 691 q/ha, dry matter yield of 130.7 q/ha and crude protein yield of 19.3 q/ha. Correlation and regression analysis also indicated that the growth and yield attributes had a positive impact on the fodder yield. Hence it can be recommended that application of FYM and vermicompost (50 and 50% RDN) found better source of organic nutrients for achieving sustainable and economical fodder yield with quality in fodder cowpea-maize cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In a long‐term rotation experiment (2016–2022) with different nitrogen (N) fertilizer levels in subtropical South‐India, crop yields of low N plots were unexpectedly high. We therefore hypothesized that in the absence of mineral N application, these yields are largely due to N inputs by N2 fixation in the component crops. To assess the diazotrophic N2‐fixation of lablab (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet) and possible associative N2‐fixation of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn), a controlled experiment was conducted during the 2021 monsoon season within the above‐mentioned long‐term field study. Two approaches were used to estimate the quantity of N derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa): the dilution method using a 15N‐labeled fertilizer and the natural abundance method. Method: For the 15N dilution method irrigated maize (Zea maize L.), finger millet and lablab were labeled with two split applications of 10% 15N fertilizer (50:50 15N‐urea and 15N‐ammonium sulfate) amounting to a total of 15 kg N ha−1. Maize was selected as the non‐fixing reference plant to estimate diazotrophic N2‐fixation. The entire aboveground biomass of the labeled plants was harvested at maturity and analyzed for total DM, N concentration, and the 15N isotope ratio. Results: N2 fixation efficiency for lablab was 52%–69% depending on the calculation method, corresponding to 40–53 kg N ha−1. For finger millet, the natural abundance method resulted in an estimated N2‐fixation of 5 kg N ha−1, which was suggested by the results of the dilution method whereby the reference plant maize was only poorly labeled. Conclusion: Labeling of maize might have been diluted due to unexpected associative N2‐fixation or N‐uptake from unlabeled deep soil N pools. The data underline the importance of symbiotic N2‐fixation in crop rotation systems of South‐India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maize is the third most important food crop in India. Conventionally it is a furrow irrigated crop and hence, it calls for an effective on-farm management of water in field through micro irrigation. Intensive agriculture practice like continuous monocropping without following the principles of crop rotation and sequence have resulted in several ecological complications. Hence, blackgram was introduced as a succeeding crop after drip irrigated maize. The aim of the study was to examine the residual effect of drip irrigation levels and maize genotypes and their interaction on succeeding crop i.e. blackgram. Methods: During summer 2018 and 2019, maize experiment was conducted with four irrigation levels (drip irrigation at 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 ETc and furrow irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio) and four maize genotypes (NK-6240, Pinnacle, CP-818 and RCRMH-2). After maize, succeeding blackgram was taken up under rainfed condition of Dharwad during kharif 2018 and 2019. Result: Performance of blackgram was superior under residual effect of drip irrigation treatments over furrow irrigation method. Among the interactions, significantly higher yield, RWUE and net returns were recorded with residual effect of I1G4 treatment combination. However, it was on par with I1G2, I1G3, I1G1, I2G1, I2G2, I2G4, I3G2 and I3G3 treatment combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the traditional agricultural practices of Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Odisha, India, and attempts to comprehend as to how they negotiate with their ecosystem in order to ensure sustainable agricultural production and livelihood. Data, collected using interview and observation, reveal that agricultural practices of the Chuktia Bhunjia are revolved around local ecology, beliefs, rituals and knowledge. The knowledge-based intercropping, agroforestry, crop rotation, crop diversity, rain-water harvesting and management of soil fertility are important domains involved in their agricultural practices that are found to as a function of long-term observation and experiments, and are reported to have been culturally reproduced through self-engagement and ritualistic practices associated with agriculture. Their agriculture is assumed to have significance in maintaining the soil fertility and moisture, and reducing greenhouse gases and enhancing carbon sequestration whereby to balance the landscape. The agroforestry-based agricultural practices, coupled with belief, ritual and technology, is also found to make their agriculture cost-effective and ensure conservation of ecological system. Climate change–driven agricultural decision-making among them is found to as a tool not only to arrest their crop failure but also to ensure sustainable food production and livelihood. Yet, the expected evacuation of inhabitant including Chuktia Bhunjia due to 'tiger-project' is assumed to be a threat to their agricultural knowledge and other cultural domains. Therefore, owing to the livelihood implication of traditional agriculture, any attempt to integrate their agricultural knowledge base with scientific knowledge would ensure sustainability of both ecology and livelihood together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In developing countries there is a preference to grow food crops rather than forage. However, suitable food–fodder based systems ensure year-round green fodder availability for profitable livestock production. Aims: This study aimed to determine whether including single cut Egyptian clover (SEC) in the existing cropping systems could improve system productivity, forage availability and economic returns. Method: Nine SEC based cropping systems were tested in a randomised complete block design with three replications. Key results: Sorghum–SEC–wheat (late sown) cropping system produced 18% greater wheat equivalent yield compared with a popularly adopted sorghum–wheat system (8.9 Mg ha−1). The water productivity (1.80 kg m−3) of this system was also improved in the sorghum–multi-cut Egyptian clover system (1.74 kg m−3). There was a marginal increase in dry matter yield and crude protein content of the succeeding sorghum crop when it was rotated with Egyptian clover. The inclusion of Egyptian clover also improved the soil organic carbon (23%) and available nitrogen (15%) compared with cereal–cereal systems. The findings identify a sustainable intensification option in the sorghum-based cropping system with short duration Egyptian clover (single cut) as an economically feasible and ecologically effective approach. Conclusion: Integration of single cut Egyptian clover in sorghum–wheat rotation as a catch crop recorded greater system productivity, water-use efficiency and economic returns to achieve the sustainable crop intensification. Implication: The SEC can be an effective option for diversification and intensification of cropping systems to improve fodder availability, yield, boost income and improve soil health. Livestock productivity in India is below potential due to scarcity of green fodder. There is very limited scope to expand the acreage under fodder production, because of other demands on existing cultivable land. Integrating Fahli type Egyptian clover in the sorghum–wheat rotation as a catch crop increases fodder availability without affecting the yield of main crops and has potential as a productive system. Clover can diversify and intensify cropping systems, address food and fodder security and improve soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and quantitative regional estimates of the carbon budget require an integration of eddy covariance (EC) flux-tower observations and remote sensing in ecosystem models. In this study, a simple remote sensing driven light use efficiency (LUE) model was used to estimate the primary productivity for major cropping systems using multi-temporal satellite data over the Saharanpur district in India. The model is based on radiation absorption and its conversion into biomass. The LUE model was implemented for major crop rotations derived from the time-series of Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 with monthly satellite-based spatially explicit fields of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), fraction of absorbed PAR (fAPAR) and down-regulated light use efficiency. Incident PAR and fAPAR were estimated on monthly basis from the ground-calibrated empirical equation using INSAT-3D insolation product and remote sensing–based vegetation indices, respectively. Spatial LUE maps created by down-regulating maximum LUE (EC tower-based) with water and temperature stressors derived from land surface water index (LSWI) and EC-based cardinal temperature, respectively. LUE-based modeled GPP over the sugarcane-wheat system was found higher than the rice-wheat system in Saharanpur district. This is because C4 crop (sugarcane) has very high photosynthetic efficiency compared to C3 crops (rice and wheat). Modeled GPP over the sugarcane-wheat system was found in good agreement with observed EC tower-based GPP (Index of Agreement = 0.93). Further regionally calibrated remote sensing–based LUE model well captures gross photosynthesis rates (GPP) over cropland ecosystem compared to globally modeled MODIS GPP product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize occupies a prominent position in India as each part of the maize plant is of economical importance. Banded leaf and sheath blight disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani f. sp. sasakii is one of the important disease of maize. The causal organism of this disease has potential to inflict economic loss up to 100 %. Due to its soil borne nature and lack of resistant cultivers, it poses challenge to maize growers. Fungicides or crop rotation alone is not sufficient to control this disease. The present study is on integrated disease management through chemical, biological and botanicals means. The findings of this investigation should help better management and reduce crop loss due to banded leaf and sheath blight. Bavistin showed maximum percent of inhibition i.e. hundred percent (100%) at 10 ppm concentration. In order to replace chemical treatment present study was focused on use of integrated disease management (IDM). For this six treatment were given to maize seed with botanicals, bio-agent, chemical and combination of these out of which it was found that treatment number S6 and S7 which is combination of Bavistin + Neem oil and Trichoderma harzianum + Neem oil respectively showed maximum percent diseases index i.e. 2.9 and 4.6 respectively. In another treatment, along with seed treatment foliar spray was also done by using chemicals and botanicals. In this experiment it was found that when treatment was done with bio-agent T. harzianum maximum percent disease control was reported 90.9 and minimum 60.6 when foliar spray and seed treatment both were done only by Neem oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) using the idle rice fields in Southern China and the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India in the winter season through the rice–potato rotation (RC) system could support future food security. However, the modulation capacity of the RC system on soilborne fungal pathogens is still unclear. In the current study, a pot experiment was designed and conducted to monitor the dynamics of soil fungal community composition between the potato monoculture (CC) system and the RC system, where the two systems were set with the same soil conditions: autoclaving with fertilization; autoclaving without fertilization; autoclave-free with fertilization; and autoclave-free without fertilization. Then, the uncultivated soil (CK) and root-zone soil samples of conditions under the two systems were collected, and then soil physiochemical properties and enzymatic activities were determined. Next, the high-variable region (V5–V7) of fungal 18S rRNA genes of the samples were amplified and sequenced through the PCR technique and the Illumina Miseq platform, respectively. Finally, the fungal species diversity and composition, as well as the relative abundance of fungal pathogens annotated against the Fungiuld database in soil samples, were also investigated. The results showed that the RC could significantly (p < 0.05) increase soil fungal species diversity and decrease the relative abundance of soil fungal pathogens, where the RC could suppress 23 soil fungal pathogens through cultivating the rice during the summer season and 93.75% of the remaining pathogens through winter-season cultivation. Seven-eighths of the conditions under RC have lower pathogenic MGIDI indices (6.38 to 7.82) than those of the CC (7.62 to 9.63). Notably, both rice cultivation and winter planting reduced the abundance of the pathogenic strain ASV24 under the Colletotrichum genus. The bipartite fungal network between the pathogens and the non-pathogens showed that the pathogenic members could be restricted through co-occurring with the non-pathogenic species and planting crops in the winter season. Finally, the redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that soil pH, electronic conductivity, available phosphorus content, and various enzyme activities (cellulase, urease, sucrase, acid phosphatase, catalase, polyphenol oxidase) could be the indicators of soil fungal pathogens. This experiment demonstrated that the rice–potato rotation system outperformed the potato monoculture on suppressing soilborne fungal pathogenic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is critical to the development of a growing country like India. For the vast majority of the population, agriculture is their primary source of income. Crop yield estimates that are accurate and timely can give crucial information for determining agriculture policy and making investments. Crop yield forecasting and prediction will boost agricultural productivity, while crop rotation will improve soil fertility. When farmers are unaware of the soil nutrition and composition, crop yields are reduced to a minimum. To address these concerns, the proposed methodology creates an ensemble deep learning system for predicting rice crop production based on soil nutrition levels. Soil nutrients and crop production statistics are taken as the input for the proposed method. The soil nutrients dataset contains different nutrients level in the soil. Crop production statistics are the amount of crop yield in a particular area. Normalization and mean of the attribute techniques are used as pre-processing approaches to fill the missing values in the input dataset. The suggested process utilizes a stackingbased ensemble deep learning strategy termed Model Agnostic Meta-Learning (MAML) for classification. MAML receives output from three different classifiers, including Deep Neural Network (DNN), Deep Belief Network (DBN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Then the MAML produce the final output as how much amount of rice crop is predicted in the particular soil. The proposed method provides better accuracy of 89.5%. Thus the designed model predicted the crop yield prediction in an effective manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted during 2019 and 2020 (March to August) at Regional Research Station, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Jhargram, West Bengal, India to find out the response of phosphorus management on growth and yield of groundnut varieties and its residual effect on succeeding baby corn. The three main plot treatments (variety- TAG 24, TG 51, TG 37A) and six subplot treatments of phosphorus dose were laid out in split plot design with three replications. Highest plant height (70.3 cm), number of branches plant-1 (8.5), crop growth rate (3.67 g m-2 day-1), pod yield (2007 kg ha-1), haulm yield (2876.22 kg ha-1), kernel yield (1360.76 kg ha-1) and oil yield (689.36 kg ha-1) were obtained with groundnut variety TG 51. Whereas phosphorus dose (100% RDF+PSB @ 25 g kg-1 of seed+FYM @ 2 t ha-1) provided highest value for the above characters. Interaction effect was significant for pod yield and kernel yield. The residual effect on succeeding baby corn was found maximum for variety TAG 24 and treatment (100% RDF+PSB @ 25 g kg-1 of seed+FYM @ 2 t ha-1) applied to previous groundnut. So, application of phosphorus @ 60 kg ha-1 along with P.S.B @ 25 g kg-1 of seed and F.Y.M @ 2 t ha-1 may be successful for groundnut variety TG 51 alone and TAG 24 in sequence with baby corn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight integrated crop management (ICM) practices were evaluated for six years consecutively, which are ICM1&2: 'business-as-usual' (conventional transplanted rice fb flatbed wheat), ICM3&4: conventional direct seeded rice (DSR) fb furrow irrigated raised-bed wheat without residues, ICM5&6: conservation agriculture (CA)-based zero-tilled (ZT) DSR fb ZT wheat with the wheat and rice residues and ICM7&8: CA-based ZTDSR fb ZT wheat with the wheat, mungbean and rice residues. ICM7-8 produced 9.6–16.4% and 9.4–9.9% greater system rice equivalent yield (REY) than the ICM1-4 and ICM5-6, respectively. Residue-retained CA-based ICM5-8 had 23.2% and 58.5% greater N and P balance, respectively, than the residue removed (ICM1-4); subsequently, negative K balance (–53 to –115.5 kg ha−1) was recorded in ICM1-4. ICM5-8 consumed ~60-78% of total energy and produced the highest energy output (Eo) in rice (11.5–12.6%)/wheat (7.3–13%) than ICM1-4. In contrast, ICM1-4 had a greater energy use efficiency (EUE) compared to ICM5-8 due to lesser energy input (EI) through indirect renewable sources. At a soil depth of 0.0–0.45 m, the ICM5-8 contributed 7.9% and 20.2% greater active and passive OC pools over the ICM1-4. Thus, CA-based ICM in rice-wheat rotation (RWR) could be a possible substitute for the positive nutrient balance, system yields and energy and carbon dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Large area under soybean is spread over Central India. Due to short growing season, soybean fits well in a number of cropping systems and is well suited for intercropping with a number of crops resulting in better land equivalent ratio and helps in the risk aversion due to climatic uncertainties in rainfed conditions. It has increased more cropping intensity and B;C ratio (profitability). All domestic demands of the farmers pertaining to agricultural produce could not be possible to fulfill by growing crops in existing soybean-wheat/gram cropping systems. Methods: A field trial was conducted during rainy, winter and late winter seasons of the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 at the research farm of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhar, M.P. to assess comparative studies of soybean (Glycine max L.) based cropping systems for sustainable production in Malwa Plateau of Central India. There were altogether16 treatments comprising of soybean sequenced with wheat, chick pea, garlic, onion, potato and garden pea with inclusion of garlic, onion in late winter and assessed in randomized block design with four replications. Result: Soybean (JS 93-05) - potato (Kufri jyoti) - onion (AFLR) cropping sequence recorded the highest system productivity 177.31 q/ha) in terms of soybean equivalent yield with greater production efficiency (56.55 kg/ha/day), land use efficiency (85.89%) and sustainable yield index (0.91) while existing crop sequence viz. T3-soybean (JS 95-60) - chickpea (JG-130) recorded minimum soybean equivalent yield (42.79 q/ha) with production efficiency (22.93 kg/ha/day), use efficiency of land (56.30%) and sustainable yield index (0.50). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher application of external inputs though increases crop production, but the intensively cultivated rice–wheat system in northwestern India is suffering from sub-optimal factor productivities and yield levels caused by increasing multi-nutrient deficiencies and decreasing soil organic carbon. Thus, the present study on target yield equation (TYE) based fertilizer management was carried-out to investigate the effect of chemical fertilizer applied alone and in combination with farmyard manure (FYM) on crop yield, nutrient use efficiency, and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) and a given output produced with minimum carbon emissions called carbon efficiency (CE) in rice (basmati)-wheat cropping sequence. Integrated nutrient management (INM) resulted in significantly higher rice and wheat grain yield by 5.98% and 5.30% respectively with 75%NPK + 25%FYM over 100%NPK. As a result, higher agronomic efficiency of N, P, and K of both crops was obtained with 75%NPK + 25%FYM. The highest increase in apparent nutrient recovery of N, P, and K of 18.7%, 19.1%, and 20.7% in rice and 11.2%, 18.6%, and 28.0 in wheat respectively were observed in 75%NPK + 25%FYM over 100%NPK. In addition, emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) per unit of grain production was significantly reduced with FYM application, the lowest being in 75%NPK + 25%FYM. Even FYM incorporation improved C efficiency in both rice and wheat crops. This study thus emphasizes the advantages of TYE-INM for acquiring sustainable crop yields, and higher nutrient use efficiency while conserving the environment under an intensively cultivated rice–wheat cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is India's second-largest staple food crop grown in different agro climatic zones within different crop sequences, as a result of which a diversity of weeds infests to this crop. Diversity of weeds including grassy, broadleaf weeds and sedges are mainly infested to the crop. Phalaris minor (grassy) and Rumex dentatus (broadleaf) are the most dominant weeds in northern region of country. For receiving fast results, use of herbicides is most popular method of weed control and used all over the world. But over reliance on herbicides has created several complications such as environmental quality deterioration, shifting in weed flora and development of herbicide resistant weeds. These problems can be abridged to a great extent by decreasing reliance on chemical method which can be done by integration of various cultural and mechanical methods to the weed management program. Various cultural practices such as nutrient management, seeding rate, spacing, cropping sequence, water management, sowing methods, sowing time and competitive varieties should be followed in such a way that crop plants utilize much more resources in comparison to weed plants. As a mechanical measure, furrow irrigated raised bed (FIRB) method and stale seed bed technique are recommended for effective weed management. Timely application of herbicides with recommended doses with the help of efficient spray technology improves the efficacy of herbicides. So with the help of integrated weed management (IWM) i.e integration of various cultural, mechanical and chemical methods, we can efficiently managed the diverse weed flora in wheat crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lessons learnt from past experiences push for an alternate way of crop production. One such is conservation agriculture (CA), which can be seen as a new way forward for conserving resources and enhancing productivity to achieve goals of sustainable agriculture. In recent past, progressive and significant efforts are made to develop, refine and disseminate conservation-based agricultural technologies across globe. Tremendous efforts on zero-till practices and surface management with crop residues for crop production were reviewed. This work was done at Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai-625 104, Tamil Nadu, India. A systematic cum integrative review of research work done in different parts of World, particularly in India was comprehended. Literature search was done during 2020. About 200 review and research papers were screened from various databases like TNAU e-library, ARCC journals, google scholar, research gate and scopus and 84 papers were used. This review article comprehensively documents major principles of CA along with extent and spread of CA across the globe. It also highlights CA in Indian perspective. Various merits and demerits were also discussed with literature support. This review paper discusses rising concerns of conventional agriculture systems with regard to its adoption, positives and negatives of conservation agriculture in promoting conservation agriculture in tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate eight different integrated crop management (ICM) modules for 5 years in a maize-wheat rotation (MWR); wherein, ICM1&2-ˈbusiness-as-usualˈ (conventional flatbed maize and wheat, ICM3&4-conventional raised bed (CTRB) maize and wheat without residues, ICM5&6-conservation agriculture (CA)-based zero-till (ZT) flatbed maize and wheat with the residues, and ICM7&8- CA-based ZT raised bed maize and wheat with the residues. Results indicated that the ICM7&8 produced significantly (p < 0.05) the highest maize grain yield (5 years av.) which was 7.8–21.3% greater than the ICM1-6. However, across years, the ICM5-8 gave a statistically similar wheat grain yield and was 8.4–11.5% greater than the ICM1-4. Similarly, the CA-based residue retained ICM5-8 modules had given 9.5–14.3% (5 years av.) greater system yields in terms of maize grain equivalents (MGEY) over the residue removed CT-based ICM1&4. System water productivity (SWP) was the highest with ICM5-8, being 10.3–17.8% higher than the ICM1-4. Nevertheless, the highest water use (TWU) was recorded in the CT flatbed (ICM1&2), ~ 7% more than the raised bed and ZT planted crops with or without the residues (ICM4-8). Furthermore, the ICM1-4 had produced 9.54% greater variable production costs compared to the ICM5-8, whereas, the ICM5-8 gave 24.3–27.4% additional returns than the ICM1-4. Also, different ICM modules caused significant (p < 0.05) impacts on the soil properties, such as organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), dehydrogenase (SDH), alkaline phosphatase (SAP), and urease (URE) activities. In 0.0–0.15 m soil profile, residue retained CA-based (ICM5-8) modules registered a 7.1–14.3% greater SOC and 10.2–17.3% SMBC than the ICM1-4. The sustainable yield index (SYI) of MWR was 13.4–18.6% greater under the ICM7&8 compared to the ICM1-4. Hence, this study concludes that the adoption of the CA-based residue retained ICMs in the MWR could sustain the crop yields, enhance farm profits, save water and improve soil properties of the north-western plans of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In soybean growing areas, the agro-climatic conditions of mansoon season favours more to grow only soybean during kharif season even in assured irrigation water supply circumstances. But there is a magnificent opportunity to put back wheat during rabi season by adopting the diversification towards other crops which are having higher water productivity. Methods: A field trial was conducted during rainy, winter and late winter seasons of the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 at the research farm of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhar, M.P. to assess of water productivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] based cropping systems under Vertisols in Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh, India. In 16 cropping sequences, soybean was sequenced with feasible winter crops viz. wheat, chick pea, garlic, onion, potato and garden pea with inclusion of garlic, onion in late winter and assessed in randomized block design with four replications. Result: The maximum soybean equivalent yield (17731 kg/ha), net monetary returns (362170/ha), profitability (4.0), consumptive use (150.20 cm/ha) of water and productivity of water (367.35 kg/ha/cm) was recorded in crop sequence T15 - soybean (JS 93-05) - potato (Kufri jyoti) - onion (AFLR) while the minimum soybean equivalent yield (4279 kg/ha), consumptive use of water (60.09 cm/ha), water productivity (115.17 kg/ha/cm) and profitability (2.81) was noted in existing crop sequence i.e. T3 - soybean (JS 95-60) - chickpea (JG-130) desi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system in Indo-Gangetic Plains is facing many problems in various fronts viz., agricultural, ecological, environmental and economical. Therefore, to ensure long-term sustainability, the rice-wheat cropping system needs to be diversified. The present study was conducted to identify an alternative cropping system for Indo-Gangetic Plains region of India by diversifying and intensifying the current rice-wheat cropping system. Ten treatments (rice-wheat = control, rice-wheat-green gram, rice-potato-green gram, rice-wheat-cowpea fodder, rice-potato-cowpea fodder, rice-berseem fodder-maize fodder, rice-berseem fodder-cowpea fodder, rice-mustard-sudan grass fodder, rice-mustard-cowpea fodder and rice-cabbage-cowpea fodder) were compared consecutively two years in randomized block design with three replications. Diversification of rice-wheat cropping system with rice-potato-green gram resulted in increase in system productivity (142.35%), gross returns (99.57%), net returns (130.34%), profitability (130.96%), relative production efficiency (142.53%), relative economic efficiency (130.79%) and labour employment (55.73%). The inclusion of legume crops in cropping sequences was found better in improving the soil quality parameters. Our results revealed the significance of diversification and intensification of rice-wheat cropping system under irrigated ecosystem of IGP as it enhanced system productivity, profitability and soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to analyze cropping intensity of four blocks (Mogra-Chinsurah, Polba-Dadpur, Singur and Haripal) of the Gangetic alluvial zone of India using multi-dated Sentinel-2 data in 2018–19 cropping year. It was observed that during peak growing stage all crops ascribed higher Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NDVI values (0.4 to 0.73) and NDVI became as low as 0.06 when the fields were vacant. Sentinel-2 data acquired in the peak crop growing period during each cropping season were carefully selected, and NDVI was computed over the whole study area. Rule-based classification was applied for cropping sequence and cropping intensity classification based on the occurrence and non-occurrence of crops using NDVI threshold (0.4). Sentinel-2 images acquired on 22/10/2018, 6/12/2018, 30/1/2019 and 30/4/2019 were used for masking of trees and non-agricultural area. October 22, January 30 and April 30 imageries demonstrated peak crop growing period during kharif, rabi and pre-kharif seasons whereas December 6 image represented occurrence of no or little crop in the study area. Crop acreage was the highest in Polba-Dadpur block during all the three seasons. The crop–fallow—crop sequence occupied the highest areas (43%) followed by crop–crop–crop sequence (39%). 50% and 39% of the total cultivated land was under 200% and 300% cropping intensities. Overall, accuracies of cropping system and cropping intensity classification were 88.54% and 87.85%, respectively. Sentinel-2 data can be successfully used for cropping system analysis which helps in crop planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing agricultural productivity is a key challenge in realising higher output and farmers' income. In India, total food grain production 291.95 million/tonnes. The major sources of growth operating within agriculture sector may be improvement in productivity, resource use efficiency or saving in cost of production, increase in cropping intensity and diversification towards high value crops. Methods: Experiment was carried out during rabi and summer seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19 at College Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari to study the Studies on growth, yield, nutrient status of soil of chickpea as influenced by integrated nutrient management in chickpea- fodder maize cropping sequence. The treatment consisted of five treatment of integrated nutrient management to chickpea in rabi season as replicated four times in randomized block design. Result: Application of 100% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB (T3) recorded significantly higher almost all the growth attributes, yield attributes and yield as well as available soil nutrient remained at par with 100% RDF and 75% RDF + Rhizobium + PSB. Moreover, economics was remarkably improved due to inorganic fertilizers as well as combination of inorganic fertilizers with Rhizobium + PSB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Greengram based cropping sequences are followed in semi-arid parts of Karnataka, India. But, due to increasingly erratic and changing monsoon patterns under current climates the sustainability and profitability of these sequences are becoming more uncertain. Hence, a modeling study using seasonal analysis tool of DSSAT model was taken up to identify the most reliable sequence. Methods: Field experiments were carried out from 2015-2018 to calibrate and validate DSSAT model for four crop cultivars (greengram, chickpea, wheat and sorghum) under rainfed condition on deep black soils and then Sequential Analysis Tool of DSSAT model was run for 32 years (1985-2016) for three cropping sequences i.e., greengram-sorghum, greengram-wheat and greengram-chickpea. The simulated output analysis was done using yield, number of years crop failed during different seasons and the B:C ratio of each sequence. Result: Out of 32 years greengram crop, grown during kharif, failed only once whereas, during rabi season wheat, sorghum and chickpea failed seven, six and five years, respectively. Greengram-chickpea sequence recorded the highest B:C ratio (2.38) followed by greengram-sorghum (2.25) and greengram-wheat (1.76). Considering chances of crop failure and B:C ratio greengram-chickpea sequence was found to be the most reliable and remunerative system under rainfed condition of Karnataka during current climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated management of rice–maize systems is an emerging challenge in southern India due to improper rice residues and tillage management in maize crops. Conservation agriculture (CA) practices such as a reduced tillage and maintaining stubble mulch may hold the potential to increase yields, reduce crop establishment costs and increase farm incomes. A five-year trial was performed to study the effect of different CA and establishment methods in rice on system productivity, profitability, and soil carbon status in a rice–maize system. In the rainy season, the trial consisted of two main treatments: (i) normal manual transplanting and (ii) direct-wet seeding, and three sub-main treatments at different sowing dates with fifteen day intervals. In addition, in the winter season, two tillage treatments (conventional and minimum tillage) were imposed over the rainy season treatments. Both rice and maize were grown under irrigated conditions. The results showed that sowing times at 15 day intervals did not impact the yield significantly. Transplanted rice obtained a significantly higher grain yield during the first four years, but in the last year, the yield was similar in both of the establishment methods. In the winter season, conventional tilled maize recorded a higher cob yield than under the minimum tilled treatment, except for the last year, where both the tillage treatment effects were the same. System productivity of CA-based minimum tilled rice–maize was inferior during the first three years but was superior to the conventionally tilled method in the fourth and fifth year. Pooled analysis revealed that the conventionally tilled rice–maize system resulted in a similar system productivity as that of the CA during the study period. The cost–benefit analysis revealed that transplanted rice and conventionally tilled maize fetched higher net returns of INR 111,074 and INR 101,658/ha, respectively, over the direct-wet seeded rice and CA. In addition, the 15 July rice sown followed by the maize system led to an increase in irrigation water productivity by 15.7%, and the total water (irrigation + rainfall) productivity by 27.1% in the maize crop compared with the 30 July sown system. The CA-based rice–maize system resulted in a significantly higher very labile (0.194%) and labile (0.196%) carbon concentration at a 0–5 cm depth of soil compared to those under the conventional system. Thus, CA can be recommended for southern India and similar agro-ecological tropic and sub-tropic conditions. This system can be followed with appropriate location-specific modification in South-Asian countries, where crop yields and soil health are declining as a result of continuous cereal–cereal crop rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field investigations were executed during the year 2015–17 to study the direct and residual effect of boron (B) application on crop yield, nutrient concentrations, nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiencies in cauliflower–cowpea–okra cropping sequence in an acidic Inceptisol of Assam, India. To assess the direct effect of B fertilization in soil, five differential graded levels/doses of B (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kg ha−1) were applied using cauliflower as a test crop only. While cowpea and okra were grown as test crop to assess the residual effects of B fertilization, wherein B fertilization was exempted in both the crops. Recommended dose of fertilizers and farmyard manure was uniformly added in soil to the all the crops in the sequence. Results showed that among the differential B levels, the application of 2 kg B ha−1 in the cropping sequence exhibited a substantial yield augmentation up to 23.78, 7.15, and 20.61 t ha−1 in cauliflower, cowpea, and okra, respectively. Nutrient contents in leaves and edible portion of the crops, and nutrient uptake were recorded highest under 2 kg B ha−1 treatments as compared with the rest of other treatments. Also the highest nutrient use efficiencies in all the crops were registered under 2 kg B ha−1. The overall results indicated that crop yield, nutrient content, nutrient uptake, and nutrient use efficiencies can be efficiently improved with the application of 2 kg B ha−1 in the cropping sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cultivation of rice–wheat cropping system (RWCS) in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India is showing declining factor productivity coupled with many environmental problems. Diversifying the RWCS is one of the environmental friendly options for sustaining food production. Four crop rotations involving maize and sorghum in summer, wheat/potato/mustard in winter followed by short duration mung bean in late spring were studied to identify the most productive and economic combination from 2017 to 2020. Ranking of treatments by Tukey's test of significance indicated that the maize-potato-wheat (16.49 t ha−1 year−1) combination was best in terms of system productivity calculated in terms of wheat equivalent yield (WEY). Maize-wheat-mung bean crop sequence was most profitable by having higher land use efficiency (LUE = 87.67%) and net return (NR = 1577.1 $ ha−1). The gross margin comparison revealed that maize-based crop sequences earned higher gross returns (23.17%), net return (93.66%), and B:C ratio (23.7%) than sorghum-based crop sequences. Soil health parameters were improved under the maize-mustard-mung bean system, which increased the organic carbon content by 28.65%, available N by 34.91% with saving of 47.67% in irrigation water. Adoption of alternate cropping sequences instead of rice–wheat, in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India, could be more sustainable, profitable, and environment friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice and wheat are grown in sequence on the same land in the same year in South and South-East Asian cropping land to meet the demand for food of a rapidly increasing population. However, the rice-wheat system being the dominant cropping system in India is exhibiting a declining trend in recent times. This study aims at investigating a structural break in annual crop yield of two major foodgrains in India namely rice and wheat following multiple structural break analysis due to Bai- Peron for the period 1961 to 2018 using FAO(Food & Agricultural Organization) dataset of the United Nations following semi-logarithmic growth model both at level and growth. The results show that both rice and wheat yield are non-stationary at level but stationary in the first difference. The Bai-Perron multiple breakpoint test shows the presence of a structural break in both rice and wheat yield and these are present only in level but not in growth. This study has found a single break in rice yield in the year 1988, and two structural breakpoints in the years 1969 and 1998 for wheat yield. The yield growth has fallen for both rice and wheat in the post-break period compared to the prebreak period. Although the growth of rice yield in the post-break period was 1.388% compared to the pre-break period of 1.772%, the wheat yield exhibited acceleration after the green revolution with growth of 3.018% in the post-break period. The wheat growth, however, has slowed down since the late 1990s due to several ecological constraints including climate change. The above observations are quite consistent with the view that the dual goals of self-reliance and sustainable resource management are mutually incompatible. Resource-conserving technologies and crop diversification are required to be implemented to ensure the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic plains to overcome food security problems in the region. Appropriate policy reform both at the macro level as well as at the sectoral level is necessary for arresting and reversing the present degradation trends. caused by both institutional and ecological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Summer mung proved to be an effective crop in improving soil health, providing additional income to the farmers, works as catch crop and fits in paddy-wheat crop rotation in Northern India. Its cultivation leads to increase in house hold income of the farmers and contributed to nutritional security in rural India. The present study was carried out by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sonepat in its adopted villages. Methods: A total number of 159 front line demonstrations (FLDs) were conducted on summer mung in 75.2 hectare area using improved variety MH-421 during summer 2017 and 2018 after harvesting of wheat and prior to paddy transplanting to show case improved production technologies on farmers' field specifically under paddy-wheat rotation. The production, productivity and economic returns of summer mung in demonstrations and farmers' practice were compared and different yield gaps were analyzed. Result: Average yield of demonstration plots was recorded significantly higher by 20.0 per cent and 21.3 per cent in summer 2017 and 2018, respectively. The extension gap was 1.75 q/ha and 1.90 q/ha while technology gap was 1.5 q/ha and 1.2 q/ha in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The additional economic returns for farmers ranged from Rs. 2907/ha to Rs. 3200/ha as a results of these FLDs. Hence, adoption of improved summer mung cultivation practices contributed to better yield and higher economic returns under paddywheat rotation after harvesting of wheat crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an agro-ecosystem, phosphorus (P) is found in organic and an inorganic form which includes soluble P, sorbed P and mineral bounded P. In soil, added P sources undergo various soil processes like mineralization, immobilization, precipitation, weathering, dissolution, sorption and desorption. For understanding the P dynamics in clay loam (Vertic Ustropept) soil, the present study was undertaken in P dynamics under rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere environment of maize in Long Term Fertilizer Experiment at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The results revealed that the fractions of various pools of inorganic NaOH extractable Fe - P, H2SO4 extractable Ca-P, NH4F extractable Al-P, NH4Cl extractable Saloid P and Na citrate - Dithionate extractable Reductant soluble P were dominant in the non-rhizospheric soil than rhizospheric environment. The order of inorganic P fractions in the non-rhizospheric and rhizospheric region of the soil was found as Ca-P > Fe-P > Al-P > Reductant soluble-P > Saloid P and the knee-high stage of the non - rhizosphere soil recorded the highest inorganic as well organic P fractions. Irrespective of P fractions, Ca - P was recorded high (192.5 & 186.7 mg kg-1) followed by Fe - P (40.8& 34.9 mg kg-1) at a knee-high stage in non-rhizosphere and rhizosphere, respectively. Practising various nutrient management systems, application of 100% recommended dose of fertilizer along with FYM @ 10 t ha-1 (T8) recorded significant changes in all inorganic (Ca-P, Fe-P, Al-P, Reductant soluble-P, Saloid P), organic fractions and also Total P followed by 150% NPK (T3) in sandy clay loam soil. Nowadays, increasing demand for P fertilizer in India, judicious use of P fertilizer is important. Despite that, intensively cultivated soils have a lot of P reserves like organic and inorganic P pools and effective way of P transformation management could reduce the quantum of P fertilization in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World population is going on increasing, it may be 2.4 billion by 2050, but stabilizing the yield of crop is questionable in Indian agriculture due to improper management of agricultural land. Excess tillage accelerate the organic matter oxidation present on the top soil, soil erosion and creates subsurface hard pan. This makes the field unsuitable for cultivation of crops in future. Climate change is worsening the situation by imposing water scarcity in India. So to evade these problems, conservation agriculture is the only way. Main objectives of conservation agriculture is reducing tillage, year round cropping, crop rotation, mulching may be live or residue. Due to reduced mechanical tillage, activity of micro flora and macro flora get increases that improves biological tillage of soil, that in turn improves soil structure and enhances the plant growth. Most of the studies showed that the cost of wheat production and CO2 emission from the field is reduced when conservation agriculture was fallowed in rice-wheat cropping system. Crop rotation and also mixed cropping improves soil fertility and also it reduces soil erosion. It can be a part of climate smart agriculture. It reduces greenhouse gas emission and also it can improve carbon sequestration. Considerably it can save 20-30% of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The field experiment was conducted during 2018-19 experimental farm of Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, CSK HPKV, Palampur (H.P.), India. The experiment comprised of ten treatments (maize-wheat, maize-wheat + gobhi sarson, dhainchacabbage-frenchbean, sunhemp-vegetable pea-frenchbean, maize + soybean chickpea + linseed, rice-wheat + gram, hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson (hybrid), hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-ryegrass + berseem, babycorn-broccoli-frenchbean and okraturnip-tomato) which was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Methods: The present investigation was conducted during October 2018-October 2019 (Kharif and Rabi seasons) at an elevation of 1100 m amsl at a latitude of 32°04'N and longitude of 76°35'E at Bhadiarkar Experimental Farm, Department of Agronomy, CSK HPKV, Palampur, Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The soil of the experimental area falls in the order of Alfisols with Paleudalf as the great group as per the Udic Moisture Regime. During kharif and rabi season the crop varieties were applied with the recommended dose of N, P2O5 and K2O (kg ha-1). The source of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were urea, single super phosphate and muriate of potash. Result: In terms of food for human consumption, highest yield was obtained under the okra-turnip-tomato cropping sequence followed by dhaincha-cabbage-frenchbean and sunhemp-vegetable pea-frenchbean. While in terms of fodder yield, highest was obtained under hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson (hybrid) cropping sequence followed by hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-ryegrass + berseem. Highest maize grain equivalent yield was obtained with okra-turnip-tomato crop sequence. All other treatments remained superior in comparison to the maize-wheat crop sequence. Maize + soybean-chickpea + linseed emerged to be the best treatment with the highest benefit cost ratio. The treatment comprising okra-turnip-tomato sequence also proved to be the second-best treatment followed by hybrid sorghum + hybrid bajra-oats + sarson (hybrid). Sunhemp-vegetable pea-frenchbean recorded the highest uptake of the available nutrients from soil which was followed by babycorn-broccoli-frenchbean. There was net loss of available nutrients although the loss was less in the sequences with multiple crops during the year. The treatments had no significant effect on the pH and organic carbon content of the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A field experiment was conducted for two years in "Deep Black Soils" to study the residual and direct effect on growth, yield, monetary efficiency, nutrient uptake and soil properties after harvesting of cowpea under grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.)–cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] cropping sequence. There were six treatments applied to grain amaranth and each plot of rabi grain amaranth was equally divided into four parts to summer cowpea. There was beneficial residual effect of integrated nutrient sources on cowpea and significantly maximum root nodules per plant, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, dry matter accumulation per plant, number of pods/plant, grains/pod, seed yield, total biomass yield and nutrient uptake (N, P2O5 and K2O) were noted under treatment RDN50 FYM + RDN50 BC (T6) and significantly static with RDN50 CF + RDN50 BC (T5) and RDN50 CF + RDN50 FYM (T4). Soil status was also improved in terms of bulk density, organic carbon content and available nutrients in soil after harvesting of cowpea crop. Direct application of RDF levels to cowpea in summer season is concerned, the treatments RDF100 (F4) recorded significantly higher values of all parameters as well as improved soil physical and chemical properties. Thus, the growth and yield attributes of cowpea as well as soil properties determined during two crop cycles were improved due to the application of manures in sole or in combination with chemical fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping intensification is a solution to ensure global food security amid the threats of climate change and variability. Crop models are used extensively to evaluate the performance of single crop for a particular year under future climate. However, very few literatures are available on the application of crop models to evaluate intensive cropping systems. The study attempts to address this issue by evaluating the impact of projected climate derived from 29 GCMs during four future scenarios (mid and end-century under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) on the performance of rice–wheat-groundnut cropping sequence in Mohanpur, India, using the sequence analysis module of DSSAT. A marked reduction in crop duration was simulated for rice (4 to 17 days) and wheat (1 to 16 days) during all four future scenarios. On the contrary, the duration of groundnut increased by 1–4 days. Under elevated CO2 concentration, an increase in biomass was simulated for all three crops. During future periods under elevated CO2, the yield of rice tends to increase under all the future scenarios whereas wheat and groundnut could decrease the magnitude of yield reduction due to an increase in temperature. Rice was benefited due to the carry-over effect of residue from preceding groundnut and, hence, could sustain the yield on the long-term. The uncertainty in simulation due to the selection of GCMs was also quantified. The study provided a better understanding on how a cropping sequence responds to projected climate rather than a single crop in a sequence, which can be used to develop better adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the various socio economic and political issues, food security is the major daunting root challenge every country is to deal with. Food security problems accelerate with increasing population, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, and resource degradation associated with rapid economic growth. Most of the third world countries are highly affected in terms of food dependency and food production crisis. The absence of a sustainable farming methods and the reduced efficiency of the traditional methods are the main reasons to be blamed on. In India the traditional farming methods like subsistence farming, ley farming, shifting agriculture, crop rotation, intensive farming, mixed agriculture, dryland and rain fed farming, and terrace cultivation are widely followed. These chemical farming methods are not only eventually reducing the land fertility, but also posing greater threat to the environment. A closer attention to these problems is mandatory to avoid the imminent food dependency and insecurity. The greater threat posed by the growing population and the reduction in the arable land escalate the problems. In this context country like India has to look on other alternative farming techniques which can be parallel to the traditional methods at the initial stages and can take over the centre stage at later stages for intelligently handling the intricate agricultural production challenges. In this review article, various alternative farming methods which India can successfully adopt for sustainable food production are discussed. The suitability and the potential drawbacks of each methods are also been analysed to have a better insight for careful selection of each methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is a staple food crop, primarily grown in India's Indo-Gangetic plains, crucial for sustaining the region. Soil quality, vitality, and microbial inhabitants' interplay are pivotal. However, very little information is available on the impacts of agricultural practices, such as crop rotation and cropping systems, on the diversity of both bulk soil (BS) and rhizospheric soil (RS) microbiota. The impact of two different cropping systems, rice-wheat (RW) and sugarcane-wheat (SW) on soil properties, microbial diversity, and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in wheat cultivation was investigated in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India. Microbial richness and diversity were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing, which reveals distinct clustering patterns between RS and BS, with higher diversity in BS of RW and higher richness in RS of SW. Notably, Proteobacteria dominated across all samples, along with Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Verrucomicrobia, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, candidate division TM7, Cyanobacteria, and Nitrospirae. Intriguingly, the RS associated with the SW system exhibited the presence of 67 distinct genera, whereas the RS under the RW system showed 48 such genera. Within the realm of specific microbial genera exhibiting plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity, a higher abundance was noted in the RS (17.48%), as opposed to the BS (15.21%). Moreover, certain genera such as Haliangium, Iamia, Bacillus, Gaiella, Candidatus _Entotheonella , Anaerolinea , and Anaeromyxobacter, were found to be positively correlated with the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and sulfur. The study sheds light on the intricate relationships between cropping practices, soil properties, and microbial dynamics, contributing to the development of sustainable agricultural practices for wheat cultivation. [Display omitted] • Soils in upper IGP under both cropping systems are represented by well-known plant growth-promoting genera. • Cropping system has significant effects on the richness and diversity of microbiota. • Bulk soil of rice-wheat system recorded higher diversity; rhizospheric soils of sugarcane-wheat recorded higher richness. • A higher abundance of genera exhibiting plant growth promotional activities was noted in rhizospheric soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A profound consideration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and SOC pools as affected by the long-term use of fertilizer in a fixed crop sequence is essential to understand and maintain the health and productivity of soil. The dynamics of SOC pools, i.e. total soil organic carbon (TOC) and its different fractions under a rice-wheat cropping system subjected to various fertilizer management strategies over 42 years was investigated near Uttarakhand, India. The soil at the experimental site was an Aquic Hapludoll consisting of a poorly drained silty clay loam (1–1.5 m deep) overlying loamy to sandy sediments. Over 42 years, application of 100% NPK+ FYM (Farm Yard Manure) was the most effective management system in increasing organic C up to 0 to 60 cm soil depths under rice-wheat sequence. The combination of this integrated input application (100% NPK + 15 t ha−1 FYM) significantly built organic carbon fractions like total organic carbon, microbial biomass C (MBC), particulate organic C (POC), KMnO4 oxidizable C, Humic C, Fulvic C, Humin C, water-soluble carbon and hot water extractable carbohydrates at all four soil depths. Hence, application of FYM along with NPK resulted in a significant positive building up of all pools in the treatment at all four depths. Therefore, balance fertilization is panaceally important for sustaining improved soil health with balanced organic status and production potentiality of the soil for rice-wheat cropping sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-surface models (LSMs) typically simulate a single crop per year in a field or location. However, actual cropping systems are characterized by a succession of distinct crop cycles that are sometimes interspersed with long periods of bare soil. Sequential cropping (also known as multiple or double cropping) is particularly common in tropical regions, where the crop seasons are largely dictated by the main wet season. In this paper, we implement sequential cropping in a branch of the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) and demonstrate its use at sites in France and India. We simulate all the crops grown within a year in a field or location in a seamless way to understand how sequential cropping influences the surface fluxes of a land-surface model. We evaluate JULES with sequential cropping in Avignon, France, providing over 15 years of continuous flux observations (a point simulation). We apply JULES with sequential cropping to simulate the rice–wheat rotation in a regional 25 km resolution gridded simulation for the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and four single-grid-box simulations across these states, where each simulation is a 25 km grid box. The inclusion of a secondary crop in JULES using the sequential cropping method presented does not change the crop growth or development of the primary crop. During the secondary crop growing period, the carbon and energy fluxes for Avignon and India are modified; they are largely unchanged for the primary crop growing period. For India, the inclusion of a secondary crop using this sequential cropping method affects the available soil moisture in the top 1.0 m throughout the year, with larger fluctuations in sequential crops compared with single-crop simulations even outside the secondary crop growing period. JULES simulates sequential cropping in Avignon, the four India locations and the regional run, representing both crops within one growing season in each of the crop rotations presented. This development is a step forward in the ability of JULES to simulate crops in tropical regions where this cropping system is already prevalent. It also provides the opportunity to assess the potential for other regions to implement sequential cropping as an adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing agrochemicals for crop production always remains a classic challenge for us to maintain the doctrine of sustainability. Intensively cultivated rice–wheat production system without using the organics (organic amendments, manures, biofertilizers) has a tremendous impact on soil characteristics (physical, chemical, and biological), environmental quality (water, air), input use efficiency, ecosystem biodiversity, and nutritional security. Consequently, crop productivity is found to be either decreasing or stagnating. Rice–wheat cropping system is the major agroecosystem in India feeding millions of people, which is widely practiced in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Microorganisms as key players in the soil system can restore the degraded ecosystems using a variety of mechanisms. Here, we propose how delivery systems (i.e. the introduction of microbes in seed, soil, and crop through bio-priming and/or bioaugmentation) can help us in eradicating food scarcity and maintaining sustainability without compromising the ecosystem services. Both bio-priming and bioaugmentation are efficient techniques to utilize bio-agents judiciously for successful crop production by enhancing phytohormones, nutrition status, and stress tolerance levels in plants (including mitigating of abiotic stresses and biocontrol of pests/pathogens). However, there are some differences in application methods, and the latter one also includes the aspects of bioremediation or soil detoxification. Overall, we have highlighted different perspectives on applying biological solutions in the IGP to sustain the dominant (rice–wheat) cropping sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common scab of potato caused by various species in the genus Streptomyces has assumed serious proportions in certain potato‐growing regions of North India. Although it does not have significant effect on tuber yield, it downgrades quality and reduces marketability. Being soil‐borne, this disease is often difficult to manage. Therefore, the present studies were conducted to evaluate different potato‐based crop rotations prevalent in north India as a part of a strategy to manage Streptomyces scabies population in scab sick fields. Our results showed that S. scabies population in soil can be effectively reduced either by keeping the field fallow after potato or by including mungbean or sunhemp as green manure, in a single year cropping sequence over a period of four years. Three crop rotations, viz. fallow–rice–potato, mungbean–rice–potato and sunhemp–rice–potato, showed maximum decrease in the population of S. scabies in soil resulting in reduced scab severity. The mungbean‐ and sunhemp‐based crop rotations also enhanced rhizospheric soil microflora especially fluorescent pseudomonads and Trichoderma spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh state, India to assess the effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Soybean [(Glycine max (L.) Merrill] – Wheat (Triticum aestivum) for productivity, nutrient uptake and fertility balance during 2008-09 and 2009-10. 18 treatment included use of 50, 75, 100% NPK to soybean and wheat with combination of FYM, Vermicompost and cow pat pit (CPP) were tested. All growth parameters were recorded significantly higher with the application of 100% NPK through fertilizer+5 t ha-1 FYM during 2008-09 and 2009-10. Pooled Seed yield (2.52 t ha-1), straw yield (2.54 t ha-1), nutrient uptake (216.35 kg N, 34.70 kg P and 89.50 K kg ha-1) of soybean were also found significantly higher with the same application. The growth parameters of wheat have been found significantly higher with 100% NPK to wheat+residual effect of 50% NPK and FYM @ 10 t ha-1 in the kharif crop during two years. Pooled Seed yield (4.95 t ha-1), straw yield (4.99 t ha-1) and harvest index (49.75 %) of wheat were also obtained highest with same treatment combination during experiment. The soil nutrient status after harvest of second year wheat crop, the available N, P and K in soil were analyzed significantly higher under 100% NPK with residual effect of FYM @ 10 t ha-¹ + 50% NPK over rest of the treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, rice-fallows are targeted for cropping intensification in South Asia. Rice-fallows a rainfed mono-cropping system remain fallow after rice due to lack of irrigation facilities and poor socio-economic condition of the farmers. Nevertheless, there is the scope of including ecologically adaptable winter crops in water-limited rice-fallow conditions with effective moisture conservation practices. The study aimed to identify the winter-crops that are adaptable and productive in rice-fallow conditions and to evaluate the different tillage-based crop establishment practices for soil moisture conservation, grain yield, economics, and sustainability parameters. Six different crop establishment and residue management (CERM) practices viz., zero-tillage direct seeded rice (ZTDSR), zero-tillage transplanted rice (ZTTPR), puddled transplanted rice (PTR), ZTDSR with rice residue retention (ZTDSRR+), ZTTPR with rice residue retention (ZTTPRR+), PTR with rice residue retention (PTRR+) as main-plot treatment and five winter crops (chickpea, lentil, safflower, linseed, and mustard) as sub-plot treatment were evaluated in a split-plot design. The productivity of grain legumes (chickpea and lentil) was higher over oilseed crops in rice-fallow conditions with an order of chickpea > lentil > safflower > mustard > linseed. Among the CERM practices, ZTDSRR+ and ZTDSR treatments increased the grain yield of all the winter crops over PTR treatment, which was primarily attributed to higher soil moisture retention for an extended period. Grain yield increment with conservation tillage practices was highly prominent in safflower (190%) followed by lentil (93%) and chickpea (70%). Rice grain yield was higher (7–35%) under PTR treatment followed by ZTDSR treatment. Conservation tillage practices (ZTDSR, ZTTPR) reduced energy use (11–20%) and increased the energy ratio over conventional tillage practice (PTR), higher in rice-safflower, rice-lentil and rice-chickpea rotations. Higher net return was attained in rice-safflower and rice-chickpea rotations with ZTDSRR+ treatment. Predicted emission of greenhouse gases was markedly reduced in ZTDSR treatment (30%) compared to ZTTPR and PTR treatments. Hence, the study suggests that cropping intensification of rice-fallows with the inclusion of winter crops like chickpea, lentil, and safflower following conservation tillage practices (ZTDSRR+ in particular) could be the strategic options for achieving the higher system productivity, economic returns, and energy use efficiency with the reduced emission of greenhouse gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green revolution has tremendously changed the agri produce scenario in India. Since, the prelude of green revolution (In 1960s); heretofore, the country has never faced a situation of scarcity of agri-produce (wheat grains, rice, sugar, etc.). However, the population of the country has increased rapidly and currently crossing 1.25 billion. In the present study, the factors (enablers) which work as an influencer in maintaining of efficient supply chain for agri-produce have been identified and modeled using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methods to reveal the relationships between them. Furthermore, the enablers selected from the above modeling have been used for selecting the best supply chain of an agri-produce using analytic network process (ANP) method. The result revealed two prominent enablers for efficiently maintaining the agri supply chain to increase its overall surplus are: Awareness programs for crop rotation and high yield and Forecasted demand for agri-produce in the marketplace Conclusively, the proposed hybrid model would assist the policy makers in minimizing the turbulences and improving the responsiveness of an agri-food supply chain for the benefit of its stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm of ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tura during kharif, pre-rabi and rabi season of 2011-12 to 2013-14 to determine the suitable production potential, profitability, resource use efficiency and sustainability of diversified maize-legumes cropping system. The five cropping sequences viz., CS1: maize + blackgram (1:2) -- green gram + maize (2:1) -- tomato, CS2: maize + green gram (1:2) -- green gram + maize (2:1) -- tomato, CS3: maize + groundnut (1:2) -- green gram + maize (2:1) -- tomato, CS4: maize + Ssybean (1:2) -- tomato and CS5: maize sole -- green gram -- tomato were replicated four times using a randomized block design on sandy loam soil with low to medium fertility level and slightly acidic in reaction. The cropping system "maize + green gram(1:2) -- green gram + maize (1:1) -- tomato" was found to be most remunerative and sustainable with system productivity (175.49 q/ha), net return (Rs.3,38,725/ha), profitability (Rs. 928.01 /ha/day), benefit cost ratio (4.40), sustainable yield index (1.00), production efficiency (Rs.58.30/ha/day), relative economic efficiency (162.72%), except land use efficiency(LUE) which was the highest (85.75%) in "maize + groundnut (1:2) -- green gram + maize (1:1) -- tomato" cropping system. The lowest system productivity, net returns, profitability, production efficiency, land use efficiency etc was found in maize+ soybean (1:2)- tomato followed by maize-greengram-tomato cropping system. Hence, the cropping sequence maize + green gram(1:2) -- green gram + maize (1:1) -- tomato and maize + groundnut(1:2) -- green gram + maize (1:1) -- tomato were found to be the productive, profitable, remunerative, resource use efficient and sustainable in the mid hills sub-tropical regions of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizosphere microbiome significantly influences plant growth and productivity. Legume crops such as pea have often been used as a rotation crop along with rice cultivation in long-term conservation agriculture experiments in the acidic soils of the northeast region of India. It is essential to understand how the pea plant influences the soil communities and shapes its rhizosphere microbiome. It is also expected that the long-term application of nutrients and tillage practices may also have a lasting effect on the rhizosphere and soil communities. In this study, we estimated the bacterial communities by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of pea rhizosphere and bulk soils from a long-term experiment with multiple nutrient management practices and different tillage history. We also used Tax4Fun to predict the functions of bacterial communities. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to estimate the abundance of total bacterial and members of Firmicutes in the rhizosphere and bulk soils. The results showed that bacterial diversity was significantly higher in the rhizosphere in comparison to bulk soils. A higher abundance of Proteobacteria was recorded in the rhizosphere, whereas the bulk soils have higher proportions of Firmicutes. At the genus level, proportions of Rhizobium , Pseudomonas , Pantoea , Nitrobacter , Enterobacter , and Sphingomonas were significantly higher in the rhizosphere. At the same time, Massilia , Paenibacillus , and Planomicrobium were more abundant in the bulk soils. Higher abundance of genes reported for plant growth promotion and several other genes, including iron complex outer membrane receptor, cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance, sigma-70 factor, and ribonuclease E, was predicted in the rhizosphere samples in comparison to bulk soils, indicating that the pea plants shape their rhizosphere microbiome, plausibly to meet its requirements for nutrient uptake and stress amelioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing cropping pattern is a potentially effective lever to cope with unreliable water resources, but given the multiple factors driving crop choices, assessing if farmers actually use it specifically for this objective remains difficult. We aimed at analyzing whether and how farmers choose crop categories with different water requirements to cope with limited water resources in peninsular India. We monitored over a 10 year period crop choices, weather, and groundwater level for the three cropping seasons in 205 irrigable farms in the Berambadi watershed, in southern India. We categorized crops according to their seasonal water requirement. We built farm types based of Sequence Analysis and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering of crop category sequences over 10 years for each cropping season. For each type, we correlated the variation in crop category choices to variations in rainfall and groundwater availability, to identify tactical adaptations. Finally, we grouped the crop category choices of the three seasons to identify the main strategic pathways followed by farmers. Sequence analysis of crop category choices revealed different types of crop category sequences, reflecting farmers' different strategies, which were not significantly linked with groundwater availability. We identified five main pathways across the three cropping seasons, including combining long-cycle irrigated crop and other crop categories, specializing in short-cycle irrigated crops over two or three seasons, specializing in rainfed crops or abandoning agriculture. Within each type, correlations between variation in water availability and crop categories highlighted specific tactical adaptations. The opportunity for farmers to choose their crops among a variety of species encompassing a large range of water requirements allows them to base their system resilience on a large diversity of strategies and tactics. This suggests that some farmers empirically estimate the water balance of their cropping systems at seasonal scale to take tactical decisions. Providing them with science-based tools to refine this estimation could therefore improve their decision-making. This also implies that modelling farmer decisions must account for their diversity. Maintaining or increasing the capacity of farmers to cultivate a broad range of crops with different seasonal water requirements is important for farming system resilience, and should therefore be part of the agenda of policy makers for agricultural or environmental regulations. [Display omitted] • Changing crop choice is a potentially effective lever to cope with unreliable rainfall and groundwater resources. • Using a 10-y time series on 205 farms we explored if water requirement was a primary factor driving crop choice. • Sequence Analysis of cropping patterns allowed identifying farmers' strategies and tactics. • We found five strategies, independent of groundwater availability, but associated with specific tactical adaptations. • Farmers' capacity to grow a large variety of crops is pivotal for farming system resilience in water-limited contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the effects of intensification of cropping systems on the short-distance variability of total dry matter (TDM) yield of field crops in tropical cropping systems. To fill this knowledge gap, we used a factorial on-station experiment on a heavily weathered, tropical Nitisol in S-India consisting of a rainfed and an irrigated trial with low (N1), medium (N2), and high (N3) levels of mineral nitrogen (N) application. These fertiliser treatments were combined with a rotation of maize, finger millet, and lablab to investigate the development of TDM in two cropping cycles of three years each. Across six consecutive experimental years and for all crops our data show that at a total annual rainfall varying from 366 to 998 mm TDM yields in the irrigated field were higher than under rainfed conditions. Irrespective of the water regime, crop type, and N level, yields of maize (P < 0.0001) and millet (P < 0.0001) but not lablab significantly declined over time. The decline was stronger in irrigated than in rainfed crops and followed the sequence maize = finger millet > lablab. Log-transformed sample variance in grids of 1.2 × 1.2 m was higher in irrigated than in rainfed crops and variance declined stronger over time for both rainfed cereals in N1 plots without N followed by N2 and N3 plots. No N effects were noted in the legume lablab. When variances were standardised for TDM levels, we observed strongest growth of coefficients of variation over time in N1 plots of rainfed maize. Most differences in point estimates of trends were not significant at the 5% level due to relatively large standard errors. The results provide important insights for small-scale farmers and scientists in designing more efficient field experiments whose precision depends on plot size and number of replications. • Irrigation and N fertilization do not affect growth variability over time in S-India. • Tropical Kandic Paleustalfs or Dystric Nitisols have a large N supply capacity. • On Dystric Nitisols short-distance variability in total dry matter change over years. • Tropical soil properties and monsoonal rainfall determine crop growth variability. • Heavily weathered tropical soils require more replications than temperate ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]