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The conservation agriculture (CA), presents a promising alternative for restoring soil health and achieving sustainable crop production. In addition, one cannot follow the same nitrogen management of conventional framing in the CA as the crop residue retained leads to N mineralization/immobilization. Hence, the present research was aimed to determine the effect of CA and nitrogen managements on soil nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur release and the enzymes involved in their mineralization. The results revealed that the CA practice significantly enhanced the mineral N, Olsen P and CaCl2–S release and the soil enzymes involved in this mineralization cycles compared to CT + R plots. Similarly, all the nitrogen fertilizer receiving subplots also recorded significantly higher mineral N, Olsen P and CaCl2–S release and the enzymes involved compared to the control. Furthermore, throughout the incubation period the Urea super granule + Greenseeker treatment significantly outperformed the RDN plot with respect to NO3–N and CaCl2–S release. Whereas, the Urea + Greenseeker treatment registered significantly higher NO3–N and CaCl2–S over RDN plot from 30 and 45 days after incubation, respectively. The NH4–N and Olsen P release had increasing trend up to 45 days after incubation and thereafter it decreased. In nutshell, the research emphasizes the significance of CA alongside optimum nitrogen management approaches in enhancing the soil enzymatic activities and nutrient mineralization. These outcomes hold significance for both farmers and researchers seeking ecologically sound and productive agricultural methods to enhance crop output and maintain soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is the goal of this article to define and implement the strategic policies to avoid negative environmental impact by planning, implementing, monitoring, and controlling activities based on the environmental management. The forthcoming work does not involve experimental and characterization studies, and it does not even involve laboratory experiments. Environmental risks have been mitigated by a number of laws and regulations, including those that recognize, evaluate, and enforce environmental hazards. A sustainable policy is an innovative way of establishing policies and plans which are sustainable for the environment. This study provided metrics and indicators for measuring the environmental performance. As a result, the key priorities will be protecting the environment, growing the economy, and utilizing resources in the most effective manner without compromising the needs of the future. To ensure sustainable development, the environment and society will be managed to achieve their well-being because of implementing strategies. This report explores some of the practices and principles of sustainability that businesses, organizations, and individuals can employ to improve their sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils are the foundation of healthy ecosystems, and promoting soil health is a primary aim of agricultural strategies intended to sequester carbon and combat climate change. In this exploratory study, we conducted a qualitative content analysis to characterize soil health messaging from 10 governmental and 10 non-governmental sources targeting Wisconsin farmers. Data were collected through internet searches, focusing on accessible web content from governmental agencies, public universities, and local offices, as well as prominent industry, nonprofit, and advocacy groups within the agricultural sector. A coding framework, developed through an iterative and inductive approach, identified six primary categories and 37 sub-categories representing key themes in soil health messaging. The study compared messaging across source types by analyzing code term frequency, highlighting differences in content emphasis between governmental and non-governmental sources. Findings indicate that governmental messaging largely advocates for conservation agriculture and associated principles but does not reference climate change nor connections between soil health and broader environmental issues. In contrast, non-governmental messaging offers a wider array of information while drawing connections among soil health, organic agriculture, ecosystem health, and climate change. The omission of climate change by governmental sources may be a significant constraint on soil health discourse and climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) covers nearly 3.5 mha in Indian. And there is lack of studies on the CA effects soil nutrient dynamics. So, this study examines the effects of nine years of conservation agriculture on soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) fractions in an Inceptisol under maize–wheat–mungbean cropping system. Different tillage and nitrogen management practices were evaluated to understand how nutrient management in CA, contrasts with conventional methods. The CA practices and N fertilizer addition significantly enhanced the soil mineral N, alkali-permanganate N, potentially mineralizable N and microbial biomass N. The CA and N fertilization enhanced soluble and loosely bound P by dissolving the iron-bound, aluminum-bound, reductant soluble and calcium-bound P. All the soil S fractions i.e. available S, total water-soluble S, heat soluble S, sodium bicarbonate extractable S, inorganic sulfur, organic sulfur and total sulfur was positively affected by CA and N fertilization practices over conventional tillage and control plots, respectively. It is important to note that the green seeker-based N management options especially with urea super granules showed tendency in enhancing the available nutrient pools of N, P and S compared to recommended dose of N (RDN) applied and control plots indicating that in due course of time it may reduce the amount of RDN without hindering any soil nutrient dynamics. These findings contribute crucial knowledge for sustainable development by offering valuable perspectives on N, P and S management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intensive rice–wheat rotation system produces high yields but leaves abundant residue in the fields after harvest, which interferes with seeding operation. This residue needs to be managed through incorporation or mulching for timely sowing of wheat. Presently, straw incorporation or direct sowing of wheat in stubble fields requires highly energy-intensive machinery achieve desired results. Therefore, a seeding attachment having concave disc furrow openers was developed for combine harvester to sow wheat simultaneously harvesting rice. The performance of the seeding attachment was evaluated at three levels of forward speeds (i.e. 1.5, 2.1, and 2.8 km/h) and stubble heights (i.e. 38, 45, and 52 cm) in terms of plant emergence, effective tillers, grain yield, fuel consumption, and field capacity of the combine harvester. The plant emergence and effective tillers were found at par as compared to other prevalent methods, whereas the average field capacity, fuel consumption, and grain yield of the developed attachment were found 0.43 ha/h, 9.2 l/h, and 4430.7 kg/ha, respectively. The total energy used for wheat crop establishment using the developed seeding attachment was 1343.2 MJ/ha and about 63.35% of the average energy demand from other methods (2113.46 MJ/ha). The use of seeding attachment may improve the utility of a combine harvesters for the sowing of wheat while rice harvesting. The current study indicated a significant gain in energy-use efficiency, and a reduction in environmental mitigation is possible with developed seeding attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of mulch on the dissipation of S-metolachlor-SMOC, foramsulfuron-FORAM, and thiencarbazone-methyl-TCM and the formation of their main degradation metabolites were studied here. The herbicides were jointly applied in preemergence of maize on two separate occasions to two agricultural soils under conventional tillage (CT) and non-tillage (NT) over two wheat-maize cycles. Herbicide concentrations were determined in topsoil samples at different times after both applications, and they were fitted to kinetic models. The half-life (DT50) values for SMOC were higher under CT management than under NT (mean values: 25.6 and 7.38 days, respectively) in both soils over the two years. The faster herbicide dissipation with mulch could be because it is partially intercepted and strongly adsorbed/retained through different potential pathways, especially biodegradation, which was supported by the detection of SMOC-ESA and SMOC-OA metabolites. The mean DT50 values for FORAM (6.15 and 6.07 days, respectively) were very close for both soils under NT and CT management over the two-year experiment. The mulch had a lesser impact than for SMOC due to the former's higher water solubility and lower adsorption, with dissipation being controlled mainly by biodegradation and likely also by leaching. TCM recorded intermediate DT50 values (mean value 20.8 days) in both soils+CT in the two-year experiment compared to SMOC and FORAM. The mulch effect on TCM dissipation was observed only after the second application because the DT50 values were higher in soils+NT after the first application (mean value: 26.9 days) than after the second one (mean value: 5.9 days). The amount of soil surface covered by the mulch controlled the herbicide dissipation, and soil and herbicide properties determine their adsorption behaviour by both mulch and soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies show that tillage has a negative impact on the future sustainability of annual crops. Possible negative effects include the loss of arthropod biodiversity on the soil surface. In this context, a comparative study was carried out between tillage and no-tillage plots after four years of differentiated management. Research was carried out on a rotation of rainfed annual crops and on an irrigated maize monoculture. It was found that no-tillage of annual crops was beneficial in increasing the overall diversity and abundance of arthropod species. The dominance of three orders of arthropods on the surface of annual crops was confirmed, corresponding to the increased presence of morphospecies and individual beetles, ants and spiders. In rainfed crops, a significant increase in morphospecies was observed in no-tillage (19.5) compared to conventional tillage (16.2). In irrigated crops, the average abundance of arthropods in no-tillage (96.7) was significantly higher than in conventional tillage (57.8). Arthropod diversity on the soil surface was mainly influenced by the management system used (tillage or no-tillage), followed by soil carbon content and irrigation (irrigation or no irrigation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has become a central element in driving the greening agenda in agriculture. An in-depth exploration of global progress of CSA research globally can help to improve the level of understanding and assessment of the field by both academics and practitioners alike. Based on the Web of Science database resources, this paper analyzed the international CSA research hotspots using a bibliometric approach, based on 814 papers published on CSA topics between 2014-01-01 and 2023-08-11. The main findings were as follows: (1) since 2018, there had been a notable surge in the publication of CSA-related papers and subsequent citations. The core of CSA research predominantly revolved around environmental science, sustainability studies, agronomy, and interdisciplinary fields; (2) Keyword hotspots mainly included climate-smart agriculture, climate change, adoption, conservation agriculture, management, food security, mitigation, and farmers, etc.; (3) The research hotspots mainly included conservation agriculture, the impact and quantification of CSA on soil organic carbon, the effects of CSA application in different regions, the key factors affecting the adoption of CSA by farmers, and CSA-related decision support, which revealed that the effects of CSA implementation vary in different countries and regions, and that the key factors for the adoption of CSA by farmers were diversified, which suggested that policymakers must consider diversified factors comprehensively when designing and implementing CSA strategies to ensure the effective promotion and localized application of CSA measures across the globe. This suggested that policymakers should consider the diversity of factors when designing and implementing CSA strategies to ensure the effective promotion and localized application of CSA measures in all parts of the world; (4) The 25 references with a surge in citations from 2014−2023 were mainly focused on the core topics of conservation agriculture, the application and challenges of CSA, as well as the impacts of climate change on agriculture and coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat cultivated under conservation agriculture faces challenges in nutrient management due to altered soil dynamics and heavy residue loads. This often necessitates excessive nutrient applications to address the nutritional demands of the crop. Conducted at the Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre during the winter seasons of 2020–21 and 2021–22, this study explored the effects of different nitrogen (N) application strategies on the ‘HD 2967’ wheat cultivar planted amidst rice residues using a super-seeder. The Nutrient Expert® (NE) combined with LCC-based N top dressing (NE+LCC) demonstrated the most optimal nutrient balance, leading to a 5.9% increase in grain yield and a 42.8% increase in dry matter accumulation compared to traditional methods. The composite SSNM treatments like NE+SPAD and NE+LCC recorded 48.9% and 41.9% higher SPAD values, respectively, as compared to RDF. The NE treatments resulted in significant savings, with a reduction of 60% in phosphorus usage and 5% in potassium. Economically, the NE treatment proved superior, showcasing a 12.7% higher net return compared to the RDF approach. The study concludes that site-specific nutrient management, facilitated by advanced tools like LCC and SPAD, when integrated with software-driven strategies, boosts wheat yield and fosters sustainable farming practices. This approach minimizes environmental impacts by optimizing nutrient applications and aligns with the sustainability development goal of responsible consumption and production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have investigated how one-time targeted tillage of long-term no-till fields impacts topsoil properties and weed dynamics. An on-farm trial was implemented in 2020 to test the effects of occasional tillage (OT) in Morocco with a long-term no-tillage (NT) system and rainfed field crops: durum wheat (Triticum durum), faba bean (Vicia faba minor), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Four treatments were established, namely, continuous NT with crop residues maintained ("NT + residue"); continuous NT with crop residues not maintained ("NT-residue"); shallow inversion tillage ("shallow OT"); and deep non-inversion tillage ("deep OT"). Weassessed the effect of these treatments on soil physical and chemical properties in 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil depths after crop harvest of the 2020-2021 (year 1) and 2021-2022 (year 2) growing seasons corresponding to 1 and 2 years after OT, respectively. In addition, we evaluated the effect of the treatments on weed populations and the effect of the legume crop rotated with wheat on soil nitrogen (N) and weed density. In year 1, deep OT reduced the water content at field capacity and available water capacity at 0-10 cm compared to continuous NT; the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) under deep OT was lower than in NT-residue and NT + residue at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm, respectively. Furthermore, deep OT increased ammonium-N (NH4-N) at 0-10 and 10-20 cm compared to NT + residue but reduced exchangeable potassium (K) at 10-20 cm depth compared to NT-residue. In year 2, shallow OT had lower total porosity at 10-20 cm than NT + residue, while shallow and deep OT recorded higher waterstable aggregates at 0-10 cm than NT + residue; at 10-20 cm, deep OT recorded lower CEC than NT + residue. However, deep OT had higher nitrate-N (NO3-N) and available sulfur (S) than NT-residue at 10-20 cm. Occasional tillage did not significantly affect 10 out of 19 of the soil properties evaluated, including soil organic matter (SOM), in all the years and did not help reduce the stratification of soil nutrients in NT. In year 1, 50 days after OT, deep OT reduced the weed density by 46% compared to NT + residue, while in year 2, 406 days after OT, shallow OT reduced weed density by 53% compared to NT-residue. Regarding the effect of the legume rotated with wheat, faba bean appeared to be the better preceding or following wheat crop as it resulted in higher residual soil mineral N and lower weed infestation than chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an innovative approach that promotes sustainable farming while enhancing soil health. However, residue management challenges often hinder its adoption, causing farmers to burn crop leftovers in fields. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various furrow openers under simulated soil bin conditions. Three types of furrow openers were examined: single disk (SD), Inverted T-type furrow opener with a plain rolling coulter (ITRC), and double disc (DD) furrow opener. Tests were conducted at different forward speeds (1.5, 2, and 2.5 km h−1) and with three straw densities (1, 2, and 3 t ha−1) at a consistent working depth of 5 cm. Draft measurements were obtained using load cells connected to an Arduino-based data-logging system. Results indicated that draft requirements increased with forward speed and straw density, while straw-cutting efficiency decreased with these factors. Average draft values for SD, ITRC, and DD were 290.3 N, 420 N, and 368.5 N, respectively, and straw-cutting efficiencies were 53.62%, 59.47%, and 74.89%, respectively. The DD furrow opener showed the highest straw-cutting efficiency (81.36%) at a working speed of 1.5 km h−1 and a straw density of 1 t ha−1, demonstrating optimal performance compared to other furrow openers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, various types of farming systems based on ecological principles have been proposed and developed. There is often interest in knowing about the differences between these systems, but such information must be obtained from several sources describing each of these systems. Therefore, this paper is an effort to consolidate the information on these systems in a concise manner without making comparative ratings between them. We found three components contained in the overarching theme of these systems: the reduction in external inputs, environmental protection, and sustainability. However, several variations exist between them, each with its own focus and guiding principles. Also, these farming systems contain their own specific terms to identify themselves and contain their own set of philosophies based on their founder. In this review, we provided a short description of some of the major ecologically based farming systems such as "agroecology", "regenerative agriculture", "holistic management", "carbon farming", "organic farming", "permaculture", "biodynamic farming", "conservation agriculture", and "regenerative organic farming". We summarized these farming systems as "variants of farming systems based on ecological principles" and outlined the similarities and differences between them. We also discussed how the themes of these systems relate to the United Nations' thirteen principles of agroecology. Although these systems share several similarities, their philosophy is rooted in their founders and the communities that choose to adopt these philosophies. Last, we discussed some of the challenges in implementing these ecological agriculture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector has been intensifying production systems to increase yields. Olive cultivation is the most widespread permanent crop in Europe and the Mediterranean region and in many cases, it is under intensive farming practices with heavy use of agrochemicals, greatly affecting olive grove biodiversity. In this study we investigate the impact of different understorey management practices (undisturbed, cleared with mechanical means) on plant cover, ground beetle and bee richness and abundance, and on the abundance of ground arthropods and flying insects in olive groves on Lesvos Island, North Aegean, Greece. We found that undisturbed understorey had a positive impact on plant richness and abundance, ground beetle and bee richness and abundance, as well as ground arthropod and flying insect abundance. The results suggest that maintaining the plant cover undisturbed significantly improves the biodiversity of the olive groves and by extension the ecosystem services, such as pollination, pest control and soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is the goal of this article to define and implement the strategic policies to avoid negative environmental impact by planning, implementing, monitoring, and controlling activities based on the environmental management. The forthcoming work does not involve experimental and characterization studies, and it does not even involve laboratory experiments. Environmental risks have been mitigated by a number of laws and regulations, including those that recognize, evaluate, and enforce environmental hazards. A sustainable policy is an innovative way of establishing policies and plans which are sustainable for the environment. This study provided metrics and indicators for measuring the environmental performance. As a result, the key priorities will be protecting the environment, growing the economy, and utilizing resources in the most effective manner without compromising the needs of the future. To ensure sustainable development, the environment and society will be managed to achieve their well-being because of implementing strategies. This report explores some of the practices and principles of sustainability that businesses, organizations, and individuals can employ to improve their sustainability.

Abstract The aims of this study are to analysis adoption and impacts of conservation agriculture on poverty and resilience to drought in Eastern Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling method was employed and four districts were randomly selected from Eastern Hararghe Zone. Using cross-sectional survey data collected in 2023 from 430 households, multinomial endogenous switching regression was applied in impact evaluation. The result shows farm experience, education, climatic-shocks experience, access to climate information, access to extension, number of oxen, farm size, labor force, livestock and distance to market are determinants of conservation agriculture (CA) adoption in terms of inter-cropping, crop rotation and crop residue retention or mulch practices in its single and combination of practices. Poverty was evaluated based on cost-of-basic-need and resilience to drought is in its index. Accordingly, the food poverty line and total consumption expenditure or total poverty line was found to be 6582.7ETB and 8620.70ETB per Adult/Equivalent per year in the study area. Results of average treatment effect on treated shows adoption is significantly reduced poverty and increased resilience to drought condition in the area. The study also shows importance role of extension service in adoption of CA practices. There is a need to encourage extension facilities and awareness to promote better adoption of CA particularly, in its combination. The combination of practices increased consumption expenditure of adopters by 73.3 percent compared to non-adopters, given its significant impact on households’ poverty and resilience to drought in moisture stress area of eastern Ethiopia. So, it is crucial to more advances farmers and experts’ information on climate shocks and conservation agricultural practices adoption. The policymakers ought to develop and encourage farmers’ asset building plan including livestock, adult education, market linkage facilities, extension and weather related information delivery service to enhance adoption of conservation agricultural practices to combat the current and future drought.

Abstract Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an innovative approach that promotes sustainable farming while enhancing soil health. However, residue management challenges often hinder its adoption, causing farmers to burn crop leftovers in fields. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various furrow openers under simulated soil bin conditions. Three types of furrow openers were examined: single disk (SD), Inverted T-type furrow opener with a plain rolling coulter (ITRC), and double disc (DD) furrow opener. Tests were conducted at different forward speeds (1.5, 2, and 2.5 km h−1) and with three straw densities (1, 2, and 3 t ha−1) at a consistent working depth of 5 cm. Draft measurements were obtained using load cells connected to an Arduino-based data-logging system. Results indicated that draft requirements increased with forward speed and straw density, while straw-cutting efficiency decreased with these factors. Average draft values for SD, ITRC, and DD were 290.3 N, 420 N, and 368.5 N, respectively, and straw-cutting efficiencies were 53.62%, 59.47%, and 74.89%, respectively. The DD furrow opener showed the highest straw-cutting efficiency (81.36%) at a working speed of 1.5 km h−1 and a straw density of 1 t ha−1, demonstrating optimal performance compared to other furrow openers.

Traditional rice and wheat cropping system (RWCS) of the western Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is not only less productive, but also unsustainable owing to its elevated energy demands and environmental carbon footprint. Transition towards the long-term adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) technologies can possibility overcomes these constraints and making it a crucial component of modern farming systems. Therefore, the effects of conservation tillage and residue retention on wheat cultivation were evaluated from 2015–2016 to 2019–2020 under RWCS on CA fields maintained for twenty one years. Five tillage treatments viz., zero tillage without residue retention (ZT-R), zero tillage with residue retention (ZT+R), permanent bed planting without residue retention (PBP-R), rotary tillage without residue retention (RT-R) and conventional tillage without residue retention (CT-R) were evaluated in four times replicated randomised complete block design. The CT-R recorded 28%, 25%, 24%, and 16% higher energy inputs than those of the ZT+R, ZT-R, PRB-R, and RT-R, respectively. Nevertheless, the lowest grain energy output was recorded in RT-R (86,769 MJ ha−1) and CT-R (86,926 MJ ha−1). Under CT-R, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were approximately 20%, 19%, 17%, and 10% greater than those under ZT-R, ZT+R, PRB-R, and RT-R, respectively. Compared to ZT-R, ZT+R, PRB-R, and RT-R plots, CT-R exhibited significantly lower carbon efficiency ratio and carbon sustainability index. The long-term study revealed that ZT+R represent a promising step towards sustainability, characterized by low global warming potential and high energy use efficiency. This makes it an appealing agricultural technique for wheat production in the sub-tropical IGP regions under irrigated RWCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, various types of farming systems based on ecological principles have been proposed and developed. There is often interest in knowing about the differences between these systems, but such information must be obtained from several sources describing each of these systems. Therefore, this paper is an effort to consolidate the information on these systems in a concise manner without making comparative ratings between them. We found three components contained in the overarching theme of these systems: the reduction in external inputs, environmental protection, and sustainability. However, several variations exist between them, each with its own focus and guiding principles. Also, these farming systems contain their own specific terms to identify themselves and contain their own set of philosophies based on their founder. In this review, we provided a short description of some of the major ecologically based farming systems such as “agroecology”, “regenerative agriculture”, “holistic management”, “carbon farming”, “organic farming”, “permaculture”, “biodynamic farming”, “conservation agriculture”, and “regenerative organic farming”. We summarized these farming systems as “variants of farming systems based on ecological principles” and outlined the similarities and differences between them. We also discussed how the themes of these systems relate to the United Nations’ thirteen principles of agroecology. Although these systems share several similarities, their philosophy is rooted in their founders and the communities that choose to adopt these philosophies. Last, we discussed some of the challenges in implementing these ecological agriculture systems.

Abstract To sustainably increase wheat yield to meet the growing world population’s food demand in the face of climate change, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a promising approach. Still, there is a lack of genomic studies investigating the genetic basis of crop adaptation to CA. To dissect the genetic architecture of 19 morpho-physiological traits that could be involved in the enhanced adaptation and performance of genotypes under CA, we performed GWAS to identify MTAs under four contrasting production regimes viz., conventional tillage timely sown (CTTS), conservation agriculture timely sown (CATS), conventional tillage late sown (CTLS) and conservation agriculture late sown (CALS) using an association panel of 183 advanced wheat breeding lines along with 5 checks. Traits like Phi2 (Quantum yield of photosystem II; CATS:0.37, CALS: 0.31), RC (Relative chlorophyll content; CATS:55.51, CALS: 54.47) and PS1 (Active photosystem I centers; CATS:2.45, CALS: 2.23) have higher mean values in CA compared to CT under both sowing times. GWAS identified 80 MTAs for the studied traits across four production environments. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by these QTNs ranged from 2.15 to 40.22%. Gene annotation provided highly informative SNPs associated with Phi2, NPQ (Quantum yield of non-photochemical quenching), PS1, and RC which were linked with genes that play crucial roles in the physiological adaptation under both CA and CT. A highly significant SNP AX94651261 (9.43% PVE) was identified to be associated with Phi2, while two SNP markers AX94730536 (30.90% PVE) and AX94683305 (16.99% PVE) were associated with NPQ. Identified QTNs upon validation can be used in marker-assisted breeding programs to develop CA adaptive genotypes.

Abstract Background Achieving a net zero greenhouse gas United States (US) economy is likely to require both deep sectoral mitigation and additional carbon dioxide removals to offset hard-to-abate emissions. Enhancing the terrestrial carbon sink, through practices such as the adoption of no-till and cover cropping agricultural management, could provide a portion of these required offsets. Changing domestic agricultural practices to optimize carbon content, however, might reduce or shift US agricultural commodity outputs and exports, with potential implications on respective global markets and land use patterns. Here, we use an integrated energy-economy-land-climate model to comprehensively assess the global land, trade, and emissions impacts of an adoption of domestic no-till farming and cover cropping practices based on carbon pricing. Results We find that the adoption of these practices varies depending on which aspects of terrestrial carbon are valued. Valuation of all terrestrial carbon resulted in afforestation at the expense of domestic agricultural production. In contrast, a policy valuing soil carbon in agricultural systems specifically indicates strong adoption of no-till and cover cropping for key crops. Conclusions We conclude that under targeted terrestrial carbon incentives, adoption of no-till and cover cropping practices in the US could increase the terrestrial carbon sink with limited effects on crop availability for food and fodder markets. Future work should consider integrated assessment modeling of non-CO2 greenhouse gas impacts, above ground carbon storage changes, and capital and operating cost considerations.

Conservation agriculture plays an important role in the sustainability of production systems, notably for globally significant crops such as cotton. This study explores the integration of the no-tillage system (NTS) with integrated pest management (IPM) by incorporating cover crops. The aim is to assess the impact of these living or dead covers on the management of insect populations, the indices diversity of phytophagous insects and natural enemies, and to investigate the population fluctuation of these arthropods, considering a variety of crops in the NTS before and after cotton planting. The trial, conducted over two consecutive cropping seasons in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, employed a randomised block design with four repetitions. The treatments included cover crops with the highest potential for use in the region, such as millet (Pennisetum glaucum glaucum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), brachiaria (Urochloa ruziziensis), black velvet bean (Stizolobium aterrimum), forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), and white oats (Avena sativa L.) and a mix of white oats with brachiaria. The results indicated that the black velvet bean stands out as the most effective cover crop, providing the best performance in terms of non-preference to the attack of the evaluated pest insects. Conversely, brachiaria proves to be more susceptible to infestations of Dalbulus maidis (DeLong and Wolcott) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), and Diabrotica speciosa (Germar, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The study underscores the relevance of the judicious choice of cover crops in IPM and in promoting agricultural biodiversity, creating a strategic tool to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of the cotton production system in the context of the NTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil enzymes and microbial activity are an indicator of soil quality for assessing the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. The present study determined the persistence of metribuzin and clodinafop-propargyl and response of soil quality indicators to (1) conservation agriculture (continuous zero tillage and surface residue retention) and conventional agriculture (continuous tillage and removal/incorporation of residues) practices and (2) weed management practices in a wheat field under rice-wheat system. The shift from conventional to conservation agriculture practices increased the dissipation of metribuzin and clodinafop propargyl and significantly enhanced soil dehydrogenase (DHA) and urease activity. The residues of metribuzin and clodinafop in grain and straw samples from all treatment were below maximum residue limits (<0.01 µg g−1). Post-emergence application of clodinafop-propargyl plus metribuzin caused significant inhibition in DHA and urease activity at 7 days after treatment (DAT) compared to unsprayed control. However, from 31 DAT till crop harvest (115 DAT), herbicide treated plots had higher enzymatic activity than unsprayed plots. Intervention of one hoeing following herbicide application had greater stimulation in enzyme activity than sole herbicide. Conservation agriculture practices had higher colony development (CD) and ecophysiological (EP) indices than conventional agriculture practices for heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. All tillage, residue and weed management practices had non-significant effect on alkaline phosphatase activity and phosphate solubilizers, in soil. Adoption of conservation agriculture practices along with integrated weed management seems to be the best way of sustaining the soil biological parameters and cycling of various important soil nutrients which may potentially alter vital soil processes resulting in increased agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversified crop rotations can be a win-win solution for farmers and society given increased agronomic yield and improved ecosystem services. However, the adoption of sustainable production practices must be widespread and accelerated to create resilient agroecosystems that can remain productive as the climate changes. In this paper, we use modified measures of sense of place (SOP) and social responsibility (SR) to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of diversified crop rotations (DCR) among producers in South Dakota (SD). Data was collected from 34 SD counties east of the Missouri River. Through the application of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we identified 3 constructs of SOP on working landscapes 1) place attachment and identity, 2) social networks, and 3) physical place dependence. Using a binary logistic regression, a positive association between the adoption of DCR and place attachment and identity was found. This suggests that farmers have an emotional bond to their land that plays a role in their usage of DCR. Our results suggest that measuring some dimensions of SOP in a working landscape context is important, but needs more refinement, specifically economic dependence, given that the items measuring it did not emerge as a factor in the EFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is an escalating global concern that poses significant challenges to agriculture. The need to feed a growing population, coupled with changing climate patterns, demands a re-evaluation of water use efficiency in major field crops. Water efficiency in agriculture is a critical facet of sustainable water management in rural areas, where agriculture often serves as a primary economic activity. In rural regions, where water resources are often limited, efficient agricultural water management is vital to ensure food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. In this review, we have discussed various measures to improve water use efficiency or productivity in agricultural systems. Adopting the strategies for enhancing water productivity at plant and field level may include: rain water harvesting in rural area, soil moisture conservation practices like mulching, crop residue retention and conservation agriculture, better utilization of stored soil moisture by best crop management interventions, irrigation scheduling, integrated farming systems i.e. multiple usage of water in agriculture by combining various farm enterprises like crop production, dairy and fishery. Beside these, reviewed the water use efficiency for important field crops around the world. Review also discussed about how beneficial public policies particularly watershed management in rural area are needed to establish the right socioeconomic conditions for boosting WUE in the agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barshore is a small village in the Pishin District, Balochistan, Pakistan, with dry summers and cold rainy winters. This is an agrarian region, mostly with orchards of various fruit trees. This study investigated the physico-chemical properties and macrofauna of soils under various agricultural management practices of this region. The concentrations of soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrients, pH, electrical conductivity, soil texture, and the abundance and number of species of soil macrofauna of the agricultural fields were measured. Fifteen agricultural fields were sampled. Fourteen fields were orchards of apple, apricot or the mixture of apple and apricot trees and one field was a cropland, cultivated with wheat as a monocrop. The orchards were under conservation agricultural practices; whereas, the cropland was under conventional management. These agricultural lands were 2–26 years old. The concentration of soil organic matter (SOM) in the upper 0–10 cm depth of these field sites ranged from 11.6 g kg−1 to 32.8 g kg−1 soil. As compared to cropland, orchards had significantly higher concentration of SOM and SOC. A total of 18 soil macrofauna species were found and the most common and abundant were ants (Monomorium minimum, Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Solenopsis invicta, and Lasius niger) followed by Arion ssp. (Brown Slug) and earthworm Lumbricus terrestris. Regression analysis revealed non-significant relationship of the age and the concentration of SOM with the number of macrofauna species and with the concentrations of total mineral nitrogen, bioavailable phosphorus and clay. The existence of ants had no relationship with the concentration of SOM; whereas, existence of Lumbricus terrestris tended to had a positive relationship with the concentration of SOM. The field of tree-based intercropping system was 2 years of age since the land was converted from rangeland to a cropland, had two ant species coexisting. This indicates the positive influence of crop diversification on soil macrofauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: This research was conducted in order to compare conservation tillage methods compared to conventional tillage on the moisture retention, organic matter and bulk density of the soil. Materials and Methods: Experiments were conducted on permanent raised bed (PRB), no-till with SFOGGIA (NT) and Jab Planter (JP) equipments, in a wheat- rapeseed-corn cropping system, during 2018-2020, as a randomized complete block design with three replicates in Yazd. Barzegar and Neptune cultivars and SC704 hybrid were used for wheat, rapeseed and corn, respectively. The examined characteristics included levels of soil moisture, bulk density and amount of soil organic matter. Results: Average of organic matter in 0-30 cm soil depth was increased from 0.23% at the beginning of experiment to 0.53%, 0.67% and 0.48% at the end of experiment in PRB, NT and JP treatments, respectively. The amount of soil organic matter in CT treatment was about 0.49% at the end of the experiment. The highest amount of available water was observed in PRB (0.207 %), CT (0.193 %) and JP (0.163 %) treatments, respectively. The lowest value of this parameter was observed in NT treatment (0.143%). The lowest value of the average bulk density of soil was observed in the CT treatment (1.47 g.cm³ ) and the highest value was observed in the NT treatment (1.60 g.cm³ ). Results showed significant differences among different tillage treatments in terms of wheat grain yield. Wheat grain yield in PRB treatment was significantly higher than the other treatments. The lowest wheat grain yield was obtained at NTs and NTj treatments. Wheat grain yield in CT, PRB and NTs and NTj treatments, were 4422, 5186,3762 and3547 kg.ha-1, respectively. The highest grain yield for rapeseed was obtained at CT and PRB treatments with no significant differences. The lowest grain yield was also observed for NTj treatment. The highest fresh weight of corn forage (71021 kg.ha-1 ) was observed in PRB treatment which was not statistically different from fresh weight in NTs and NTj treatments. The fresh weight of corn forage in CT treatment was 29% lower than fresh weight in PRB treatment. Conclusion: The use of conservation tillage methods and preservation of residues in the field can help to improve soil organic matter. Also, the average bulk density, water holding capacity, saturated moisture and field capacity moisture of the soil are strongly affected by the application of tillage methods and also the type of equipment used in tillage operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural machinery services are an important guaranteed way to promote Conservation Agriculture. It is of great significance to study how to encourage farmers to choose agricultural machinery services to promote the standard implementation of Conservation Agriculture technology. In order to promote the implementation of Conservation Agriculture and improve the supply of agricultural machinery services, this paper identifies the stakeholders of normative Conservation Agriculture technology adoption behavior and the relationship between agricultural machinery service organizations, farmers and agriculture-related governments. An evolutionary game model was established to evaluate the decision-making characteristics of tripartite behavior and simulate the evolution trend of stakeholder behavior. The results show that agriculture-related governments, agricultural machinery service organizations and farmers can achieve evolutionarily stable strategies. The punishments and subsidies of agriculture-related governments and the supervision cost of all links of agricultural machinery social service organizations can significantly affect the behavior strategies of the three parties. The government set up reasonable subsidy and punishment mechanisms, and the agricultural machinery service organization controls the supervision cost of all links to ensure the stability of the three-party behavior strategy. This study provides theoretical guidance for scientific decision making and active cooperative development of the government, farmers and agricultural machinery service organizations and lays a foundation for countermeasures and suggestions to further promote farmers' implementation of Conservation Agriculture technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To sustainably increase wheat yield to meet the growing world population's food demand in the face of climate change, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a promising approach. Still, there is a lack of genomic studies investigating the genetic basis of crop adaptation to CA. To dissect the genetic architecture of 19 morpho-physiological traits that could be involved in the enhanced adaptation and performance of genotypes under CA, we performed GWAS to identify MTAs under four contrasting production regimes viz., conventional tillage timely sown (CTTS), conservation agriculture timely sown (CATS), conventional tillage late sown (CTLS) and conservation agriculture late sown (CALS) using an association panel of 183 advanced wheat breeding lines along with 5 checks. Traits like Phi2 (Quantum yield of photosystem II; CATS:0.37, CALS: 0.31), RC (Relative chlorophyll content; CATS:55.51, CALS: 54.47) and PS1 (Active photosystem I centers; CATS:2.45, CALS: 2.23) have higher mean values in CA compared to CT under both sowing times. GWAS identified 80 MTAs for the studied traits across four production environments. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by these QTNs ranged from 2.15 to 40.22%. Gene annotation provided highly informative SNPs associated with Phi2, NPQ (Quantum yield of non-photochemical quenching), PS1, and RC which were linked with genes that play crucial roles in the physiological adaptation under both CA and CT. A highly significant SNP AX94651261 (9.43% PVE) was identified to be associated with Phi2, while two SNP markers AX94730536 (30.90% PVE) and AX94683305 (16.99% PVE) were associated with NPQ. Identified QTNs upon validation can be used in marker-assisted breeding programs to develop CA adaptive genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By improving soil properties, cover crops can reduce wind erosion and sand damage to emerging cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants. However, on the Texas High Plains, questions regarding cover crop water use and management factors that affect cotton lint yield are common and limit conservation adoption by regional producers. Studies were conducted near Lamesa, TX, USA, in 2017–2020 to evaluate cover crop species selection, seeding rate, and termination timing on cover crop biomass production and cotton yield in conventional and no-tillage systems. The no-till systems included two cover crop species, rye (Secale cereale L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and were compared to a conventional tillage system. The cover crops were planted at two seeding rates, 34 and 68 kg ha−1, and each plot was split into two termination timings: optimum, six to eight weeks prior to the planting of cotton, and late, which was two weeks after the optimum termination. Herbage mass was greater in the rye than the wheat cover crop in three of the four years tested, while the 68 kg ha−1 seeding rate was greater than the low seeding rate in only one of four years for both rye and wheat. The later termination timing produced more herbage mass than the optimum in all four years. Treatments did not affect cotton plant populations and had a variable effect on yield. In general, cover crop biomass production did not reduce lint production compared to the conventional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The surface crust formed by the drop impact of rainfall and/or irrigation is a prevalent characteristic in many Mediterranean soils. However, the temporal variation of soil hydraulic properties induced by surface crust during the high-frequency irrigation has rarely been investigated. Methods: Beerkan infiltration tests in conjunction with the BEST method were used to investigate the effects of surface crusting on the spatio-temporal variation of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks, mm s−1), sorptivity (S, mm s−0.5), mean pore size (r, mm), number of effective pores per unit area (N, m−2) in Agramunt, NE Spain. Results: In response to autumn tillage, intensive tillage (IT) increased Ks and S due to higher r and N, but both declined after 60 days. Reduced tillage (RT), maintained comparable Ks and S values, despite having a lower N value. After the spring tillage, both IT and RT developed crusted layers, resulting in decreased Ks, S and N. Long-term no-tillage (NT) showed an increasing trend of Ks and S over time, except for the last sampling. Spatial variation (i.e., between the rows, B-row vs. within the row of crops, W-row) of Ks and S was found, and non-crusted soils (W-row) had consistently higher Ks and S than crusted soils (B-row). Conclusions: Conservation tillage i.e., RT and NT improve the surface soil structure and reduce the risk of crust development. Surface cover by crops may help to prevent crust formation within the row of crops, improving soil hydraulic conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residue incorporation is not a common practice in many production systems in areas with a Mediterranean climate. The aim of the research was to study the effect of residue incorporation levels of three cycles of two biannual rotations on corn yield and chemical properties of soil after six years. An experiment was conducted with two biannual rotations (canola-corn and bean-corn) and four residue incorporation levels (0%, 50%, 100%, and 200%) in a Chilean Andisol (Melanoxerand). Corn grain yield and residue production were evaluated during three cycles of crop rotation, and the soil's chemical properties were evaluated at the end of the evaluation round. The experimental design was a split plot, in which the main plot was the previous crop (two crops) and the split plot was the residue level (four levels). The results showed that the highest corn grain yield was obtained in the first evaluation season (p<0.05), when the average yield for both rotations was 10.1% higher than the average yield obtained in the third season. On the other hand, the average residue production of the first two seasons was 15.2% higher than that obtained in the third season (p<0.05). Chemical properties of the soil were affected by a rotation, with an increase in pH in the bean-corn rotation after bean cultivation, and an increase in both exchangeable Al and available S in the canola-corn and bean-corn rotations after canola. On the other hand, the use of increasing doses of residue enabled a consistent increase in the content of both organic matter and exchangeable K in the soil, and partially the available P in soil. The concentration of exchangeable Ca was increased with an increasing dose of residue only in the rotation with canola. Finally, this work allows us to conclude that continuous incorporation of the residues produced within the biannual rotations evaluated in this volcanic soil contributes to improvement of the soil's chemical properties, without affecting the corn crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision management of medicinal plant production using mechanical systems, processors, and sensors increases productivity, reduces waste, and manages production processes. This research developed a precision harvesting unit equipped with an automatic height adjustment system for utilization in harvesting machines to harvest Hyssop at an optimal height. The unit after development consisted of a power transmission system (converting rotational motion into reciprocating motion), a harvesting platform (cutter-bar, reel, and conveyor), and a system to control the vertical movement of the head. An ultrasonic sensor was employed to detect the highest part of the plant for control purposes. A central control board and a driver generated the control signal, with a stepper motor as the actuator. We measured harvesting-related variables, including dry matter, essential oil content and yield, leaf-tostem ratio, and indices related to conservation agriculture to evaluate the developed precision harvesting unit. Results showed that the unit increased the purity of the harvested plant raw material compared to the manual harvesting of Hyssop, a key to extracting more of the target substances, such as essential oil. The steady-state error of the control system measured 2% in adjusting the cutter-bar height for the optimal height of harvesting Hyssop (T15) in elevation and descension modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sorghum is emerging as a viable crop option to increase food production under changing climate due to its resilience to drought and marginal soils. Appropriate planting date, crop cultivars, type of tillage and rotations, under contrasting climatic conditions, could make significant contribution on the effective management of sorghum under changing climatic conditions. A short-term study was carried out to investigate the effects of planting date, crop cultivar, tillage type and rotations on the growth and primary nutrient uptake of sorghum in contrasting climatic regions. Methods: The study was conducted in Free State - (FS) and KwaZulu Natal (KZN) Provinces of South Africa over two seasons (2020/21 and 2021/22). The two cultivars (Pan8816 and Macia) were sown in December (PD1) and in January (PD2) under conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) and with two rotations (Sorghum-Cowpea-Sorghumand Sorghum-Sorghum-Sorghum) resulting in 2×2×2×2 factorial experiment. Results and discussion: In KZN, in both the first (2020/21) and second (2021/22) seasons, the effects of all the factors, except cultivar in the second season, were not significant on yield, and uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). In the second season, Pan8816 (4.40 t/ha) produced 3.3 times higher yield than Macia (1.32 t/ha), and took up higher N, K and P. In FS, the early planted sorghum (1.15 t/ha for season one; 3.39 t/ha for season two) had significantly higher yield than late planted sorghum (0.434 and 0.91 t/ha for seasons one and two, respectively). Furthermore, the early-planted crops took up higher N, K and P than when planted late, while Pan8816 took up 1.74 times more P than Macia. Plants grown under CT (2.61 t/ha) produced significantly higher yield than under NT (1.70 t/ha), with plants under CT taking up significantly more K than those grown on NT. These findings suggest that in the drier FS, early planting under conventional tillage, while in the wetter KZN, selecting the appropriate cultivar (PAN8816), are essential for sorghum grain yield, at least in the short-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achieving a net zero greenhouse gas United States (US) economy is likely to require both deep sectoral mitigation and additional carbon dioxide removals to offset hard-to-abate emissions. Enhancing the terrestrial carbon sink, through practices such as the adoption of no-till and cover cropping agricultural management, could provide a portion of these required offsets. Changing domestic agricultural practices to optimize carbon content, however, might reduce or shift US agricultural commodity outputs and exports, with potential implications on respective global markets and land use patterns. Here, we use an integrated energy-economy-land-climate model to comprehensively assess the global land, trade, and emissions impacts of an adoption of domestic no-till farming and cover cropping practices based on carbon pricing. Results: We find that the adoption of these practices varies depending on which aspects of terrestrial carbon are valued. Valuation of all terrestrial carbon resulted in afforestation at the expense of domestic agricultural production. In contrast, a policy valuing soil carbon in agricultural systems specifically indicates strong adoption of no-till and cover cropping for key crops. Conclusions: We conclude that under targeted terrestrial carbon incentives, adoption of no-till and cover cropping practices in the US could increase the terrestrial carbon sink with limited effects on crop availability for food and fodder markets. Future work should consider integrated assessment modeling of non-CO2 greenhouse gas impacts, above ground carbon storage changes, and capital and operating cost considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities are responsible for emitting greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to global warming and climate change. As the world's second-largest producer of staple food and the third-largest emitter of GHGs, India has been witnessing an increase in demand for food and energy, resulting in increased emissions. Thus, to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2070, India must focus urgently on climate change mitigation. Its agriculture sector has the potential to transition from being a net emitter to a net absorber of GHGs by adopting sustainable farming practices such as zero tillage, laser-assisted precision land leveling, direct seeding of rice, intercropping, biochar application, use of solar energy, and more efficient management of irrigation water, soil nutrients, livestock feed, and manure. To incentivize climate consciousness, a voluntary carbon credit trading system could be utilized in agriculture, supported by a measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification platform. This system would also bring about social, environmental, and financial co-benefits for its stakeholders. Specifically, the agriculture sector could substantially reduce the country's annual emissions by 84% from 2019 to 2070. But to realize their potential, the carbon markets must overcome the limitations currently set by policy, economic, cultural, and biophysical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a longstanding and contentious debate about the future of glyphosate use in the European Union (EU). In November 2023, the European Commission approved the renewal of the use registration for glyphosate for a further 10 years. Nevertheless, the EU Farm to Fork strategy calls for a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. In November 2022, the European Weed Research Society organised a 2 day workshop to identify critical glyphosate uses in current EU cropping systems and to review the availability of glyphosate alternatives. Workshop participants identified four current, critical uses in EU cropping systems; control and management of perennial weeds, weed control in conservation agriculture, vegetation management in tree and vine crops and herbicide resistance management. There are few herbicide alternatives that provide effective, economic, broad‐spectrum control of weeds, particularly perennial weeds. Mechanical weed control, and in particular, soil cultivation is the most obvious glyphosate alternative. However, this is not possible in conservation agriculture systems and, in general, increased soil cultivation has negative impacts for soil health. Emerging technologies for precision weed control can enable more targeted use of glyphosate, greatly reducing use rates. These technologies also facilitate the use and development of alternative targeted physical weed control (e.g. tillage, lasers, electricity), reducing the energy and environmental costs of these approaches. In tree crops, the use of organic and inorganic mulches can reduce the need for glyphosate use. In general, reduced use of glyphosate will require an even greater focus on integrated weed management to reduce weed establishment in agroecosystems, increase weed management diversity and limit the use of alternative resistance‐prone herbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive use of agricultural fertilizers containing nitrogen (N) can increase the risk of nitrate (NO3−) leaching. However, little information exists regarding its interaction with other factors that influence NO3− leaching, such as no-tillage, which is associated with different crop rotation schemes. The objective of this study was to quantify the leachate NO3− concentration and load below the root zone in two different crop rotations under no-tillage, with and without mineral N fertilizer. The experiment was conducted in a no-tillage area in Brazil between 2018 and 2020. The factors were two crop rotations (diversified and simplified) and two N fertilization managements (with and without N fertilizer). The soil solution was collected with suction lysimeters (1 m depth), the NO3− concentration (mg L−1) was spectrophotometrically determined, and the NO3− load (kg ha−1) was calculated from the volume of water drained and the NO3− concentration. The results were categorized into 24 evaluation periods. NO3− leaching was extremely low due to low rainfall throughout the experiment, with no significant differences between the factors and treatments. In the presence of N fertilization, leaching was substantially greater when rainfall increased, and vice versa. No significant difference was observed between the crop rotation schemes, except for one period in which the simplified soybean rotation exhibited high leaching. The evaluated treatments showed less NO3− leaching during the four periods when grass species were cultivated, indicating the importance of grasses in rotation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing lucerne (Medicago sativa) in dryland conditions poses challenges due to unpredictable rainy seasons and seedling vulnerability. A potential solution is adopting a nurse crop during the first year in the same field. This study aimed to assess the impact of wheat as a nurse crop and crop residue on lucerne establishment in South Africa's Mediterranean climate region. The experiment employed a split-plot design with two treatment factors across six blocks. Half of the area received wheat straw, while the rest had low residue content with almost bare soil. The nurse crop combinations included wheat alone, lucerne alone, and a wheat-lucerne mixture. Results revealed competition between wheat and lucerne when planted together. When plant populations, total biomass, wheat grain yield and grain quality were considered, wheat performed better in pure stands, as did lucerne when grown without wheat. Germination of lucerne was significantly impacted by high crop residue levels. Wheat achieved superior grain yield without crop residue, despite producing less biomass. Results indicated that it is advisable to avoid using a nurse cropping system for lucerne in this Mediterranean climate region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean region is facing major challenges for soil conservation and sustainable agriculture. Conservation agriculture (CA), including reduced soil disturbance, can help conserve soils and improve soil fertility, but its adoption in the Mediterranean region is limited. Examining farmers' perceptions of soil and underlying sociocultural factors can help shed light on adoption of soil management practices. In this paper, we conducted a survey with 590 farmers across Morocco, Spain and Tunisia to explore concepts that are cognitively associated with soil and perceptions of tillage. We also evaluated differences in perceptions of innovation, community, adaptive capacity, and responsibility for soil. We found that farmers' cognitive associations with soil show awareness of soil as a living resource, go beyond agriculture and livelihoods to reveal cultural ties, and link to multiple levels of human needs. Beliefs about the benefits of tillage for water availability and yield persist among the surveyed farmers. We found that openness towards innovation, perceived adaptive capacity and responsibility for soil were associated with minimum tillage, whereas community integration was not. Education, age and farm lifestyle were also associated with differences in these perceptions. CA promotion in the Mediterranean should emphasize the multiple values of soil, should demonstrate how sufficient yields may be achieved alongside resilience to drought, and be tailored to differing levels of environmental awareness and economic needs across north and south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cambodian farmers have gradually started growing no-tilled vegetables, but production is low due to manual practices. No-till transplanter use in Conservation agriculture (CA) can boost small-holder vegetable production and decrease production costs. Thus, this paper aimed (1) to compare the working capacity of a no-till vegetable transplanter with punch planter work in CA and hand planting in CT (Conventional tillage) and (2) to assess the economic performance of the equipment. The experiment was conducted in Battambang province, Cambodia, from January to August 2022. The experiment was arranged in RCBD with three treatments, plating using a no-till vegetable transplanter, punch planter, and manual or hand plating, each replicated four times. Tomato seedlings were used for this experiment. As a result, the no-till vegetable transplanter's working capacity was shown to be 16 h/ha, or nearly three times faster than punch plater and hand plating and could transplant 10 seedlings per minute. Plant spacing and density were similar for all the treatments at 0.8 m, and the plant density of the hand planter and punch planter was 11,660 plants/ha compared to the no-till transplanter at 9,921 plants/ha. Economic recovery is attainable at the breakeven point of 18.20 ha/y for the transplanter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil health and conservation agriculture are two pivotal components of soil security that link agricultural and soil science to policy by integrating stakeholders, scales, functions, and assessment tools, going beyond crop production or other human profits (e.g., human health). The study employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process to integrate the perspectives of two key stakeholders, namely farmers and experts, in order to identify soil health indicators that could guide the selection of conservation tillage systems. The primary objective was to determine the priority assigned to different soil health indicators by these stakeholders. The results showed that farmers prioritized and assigned a higher weight to soil mineral nitrogen, soil organic carbon, and soil water content to enhance the soil health by means of the conservation tillage systems. Conversely, agricultural experts assigned the highest weight to soil organic carbon, soil water content, soil respiration, and soil microbial biomass when choosing the proper tillage systems to improve soil health. Further, the results indicated that farmers and agricultural experts prefer no-tillage and reduced tillage systems to enhance soil health. More so, farmers and experts together indicated that these criteria accounted for 59% of the selection of no-tillage, 34% for reduced tillage, and 19% for conventional tillage systems. The results showed the usefulness of our work as an analysis framework to inform policy makers for supporting No-Tillage crop management programs and other agroecological engineering practices. Our findings could be broadly used to offer insights into crafting soil health policy and soil security for transitions toward sustainable and healthy ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability indicators for conservation tillage (CT) in agricultural systems primarily focus on assessing the impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and water footprint (WF). One way to improve these indicators is by boosting crop production while minimizing environmental impact through the implementation of sustainable intensification (SI) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) to ensure food security. Conservation agriculture (CA) based CT practice with crop residue retention has potential for benchmarking the conserving of water in agriculture, improving soil health, crop productivity and ensuring agricultural sustainability. The CT-based water-saving potential in onion cultivation nonetheless remains understudied in Bangladesh. For this, a field experiment was undertaken to assess soil properties and water footprint in onion cultivation in the Charland agroecosystem in Jamalpur, Bangladesh. Three different tillage practices, such as minimum tillage (MT), tractor tillage (TT) and conventional power tillage (PT), and flatbed flood irrigation were introduced with four replications. Tillage practices showed significant positive effects on yield characteristics and bulb yields. The findings indicate that the MT practice in onion (BARI Piaz-4) cultivation resulted in the highest fresh bulb yield of 22.79 t ha−1, followed by TT (20.48 t ha−1) and PT (16.25 t ha−1) practices. The MT practice achieved the highest water footprint (WF) savings of 40% water, where crop biomass, including above and below-ground parts, bulb size, yield characteristics, and yield productivity were significantly increased. The findings also indicate a direct correlation between the water productivity index (WPI), WF and the bulb yield under MT practice. The study's findings favor CT practice and, therefore, suggest a methodology of employing MT practice as a benchmark to increase agricultural water-saving potential. It can also be used as a reference for promoting water conservation practices achieving sustainable development and improving resource efficiency in agriculture.

Conservation agriculture is an innovative approach based on minimal soil disturbance, soil cover with crop residues, and crop rotation, which increases the biodiversity of soil macrofauna thus contributing to nutrient cycling and soil aggregation. In addition, macrofaunal abundance may play a role at regulating insect pest populations. The study aims to predict the effects of soil management practices (conventional tillage and conservation agriculture) on the abundance of soil macrofauna and herbivore predation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) based cropping systems. We conducted a field experiment with a randomized complete block comprising two treatments, Conventional Tillage (CT) and Conservation Agriculture (CA), and six replications in a cotton-maize rotation system from 2020 to 2023. Soil monoliths and pitfall traps were installed in both treatments to collect ground-dwelling arthropods, to analyse the influence of soil management practices on their abundance, their trophic groups, and the rate of pest predation by generalist predators. Pest predation rates were assessed using artificial caterpillars made from plasticine. The results showed significant positive effects of soil management practices on herbivory rate, herbivore abundance, predator abundance, omnivore-predator abundance and pest predation rate. The average herbivory rate was 9.8 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 11.6 % in the conventional tillage plots. Overall, the predation rate was 58.9 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 21.8 % in the conventional tillage plots. The abundance of predators and of omnivore-predators were significantly higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional tillage. These findings suggest that conservation agriculture practices improve soil macrofauna and pest regulation, with potential benefits on soil quality and sustainability in cotton cropping systems.

Conservation agriculture practices play a pivotal role in augmenting agricultural productivity while concurrently fostering biodiversity, mitigating soil erosion, and enhancing plant nutrition. This study aims to delve into the determinants influencing the adoption behavior of farmers regarding conservation agriculture practices, categorizing them into medium adoption, less adoption, and non-adoption groups. Primary data were meticulously gathered from three distinct regions within the coastal areas of Bangladesh, encompassing a total of 450 respondents. Descriptive statistics were employed to delineate the socio-economic status of farmers, while multinomial logistic regression was utilized to identify factors affecting conservation agriculture adoption. This study also employed to find out the severity of different climate problem faced by the farmers. Analysis of organizational communication patterns revealed that medium adopters maintained a more substantial connection with diverse organizations compared to other groups. Descriptive statistics elucidated that both medium and less adopters of conservation agriculture had undergone more training, possessed higher farm incomes, and exhibited greater levels of education compared to non-adopters. Further exploration through factor analysis unveiled that increased training significantly influenced farmers' decisions to embrace conservation agriculture practices, concurrently enhancing their knowledge of agricultural methodologies. The study identified positive relationships between crop income, cultivable land, different channel communication exposure, climate change perception and training duration with the adoption of conservation agriculture. Finally, the results underscore the importance of organizational monitoring systems and frequent farmer engagement, alongside an augmentation in training initiatives. These measures are posited to yield more favorable outcomes in promoting conservation agriculture practices among farmers. Alongside, Conservation agriculture play a key role for achieving sustainable land use and climate action.

Climate change and variability is affecting the production of maize, a staple food in Zimbabwe, leading to the advocacy for production of traditional grains (sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet) as complementary crops for food and nutrition security; mainly because of their drought tolerance. Adoption of traditional grains as a climate change adaptation strategy is, however, limited by lack of appropriate field mechanisation technologies, inter alia. The specific objective of this review was to examine the field mechanisation technologies being used in different farming systems across the globe for their appropriateness in smallholder traditional grain production systems in developing countries, using Zimbabwe as an example, and focusing on the prevailing technical, socio-economic and environmental factors which influence sustainable adoption. The review was conducted by searching ScienceDirect, Researchgate, JSTOR, Springer, AGORA and Google Scholar databases for mechanisation strategies, policies, machinery and equipment used in cereal production systems across the globe. The review revealed that the mechanisation of traditional grain production operations is lagging behind that of other cereals and that there is need to work on developing appropriate mechanisation systems for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Various farm power options were analysed and the use of two-wheel tractors under service-provision was identified as the most suitable option. Conservation agriculture-based direct seeders and use of mowers or bio-pesticides are the best-suited technologies for crop establishment and weed control, respectively. In terms of harvesting, no available equipment can be recommended for smallholder use as yet. Further research is required to optimize the practical application of mowers and bio-pesticides as well as develop scale-based direct seeders and harvesting equipment. Policy issues were identified and recommendations for improvement made. The findings of the current study can be adapted by other sub-Sahara Africa countries where farming systems, priorities and challenges are similar to that of Zimbabwe.

Few studies have investigated how one-time targeted tillage of long-term no-till fields impacts topsoil properties and weed dynamics. An on-farm trial was implemented in 2020 to test the effects of occasional tillage (OT) in Morocco with a long-term no-tillage (NT) system and rainfed field crops: durum wheat (Triticum durum), faba bean (Vicia faba minor), and chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Four treatments were established, namely, continuous NT with crop residues maintained (“NT + residue”); continuous NT with crop residues not maintained (“NT-residue”); shallow inversion tillage (“shallow OT”); and deep non-inversion tillage (“deep OT”). We assessed the effect of these treatments on soil physical and chemical properties in 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil depths after crop harvest of the 2020–2021 (year 1) and 2021–2022 (year 2) growing seasons corresponding to 1 and 2 years after OT, respectively. In addition, we evaluated the effect of the treatments on weed populations and the effect of the legume crop rotated with wheat on soil nitrogen (N) and weed density. In year 1, deep OT reduced the water content at field capacity and available water capacity at 0–10 cm compared to continuous NT; the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) under deep OT was lower than in NT-residue and NT + residue at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm, respectively. Furthermore, deep OT increased ammonium-N (NH4-N) at 0–10 and 10–20 cm compared to NT + residue but reduced exchangeable potassium (K) at 10–20 cm depth compared to NT-residue. In year 2, shallow OT had lower total porosity at 10–20 cm than NT + residue, while shallow and deep OT recorded higher water-stable aggregates at 0–10 cm than NT + residue; at 10–20 cm, deep OT recorded lower CEC than NT + residue. However, deep OT had higher nitrate-N (NO3-N) and available sulfur (S) than NT-residue at 10–20 cm. Occasional tillage did not significantly affect 10 out of 19 of the soil properties evaluated, including soil organic matter (SOM), in all the years and did not help reduce the stratification of soil nutrients in NT. In year 1, 50 days after OT, deep OT reduced the weed density by 46% compared to NT + residue, while in year 2, 406 days after OT, shallow OT reduced weed density by 53% compared to NT-residue. Regarding the effect of the legume rotated with wheat, faba bean appeared to be the better preceding or following wheat crop as it resulted in higher residual soil mineral N and lower weed infestation than chickpea.