Assessing the Effects of Conservation Tillage and In-Situ Crop Residue Management on Crop Yield and Soil Properties in Rice–Wheat Cropping System

Munish Leharwan, Yogesh Kumar, Rakesh Kumar (), Pankaj Kumar Saraswat, Raj Kumar, Arun Kumar Thaliyil Veetil, Subhradip Bhattacharjee, Ankush Kumar and Sandeep Kumar ()
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Munish Leharwan: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Yogesh Kumar: Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, College of Agriculture, Bawal 123501, Haryana, India
Rakesh Kumar: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Pankaj Kumar Saraswat: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Raj Kumar: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Arun Kumar Thaliyil Veetil: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Subhradip Bhattacharjee: ICAR—National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India
Ankush Kumar: Department of Plant Pathology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, Haryana, India
Sandeep Kumar: ICAR—Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Rice–wheat cropping system (RWCS) is a dominant agricultural practice in the Indo-Gangetic plains, particularly in the North–Western states of India. The prevalent practice of open burning of rice residue, driven by the need for timely land preparation, poses severe environmental and health consequences, including nutrient loss, greenhouse gas emissions, high concentrations of particulate matter (PM), and disruption of the ecological cycle. This study focuses on implementing effective management practices in the RWCS through tillage-based crop establishment, residue retention, and incorporation methods. The objective is to improve crop yield and its attributes by enhancing soil health properties. A split-plot experimental design was practiced with four different treatments, zero-tillage with manual harvesting (ZT), Happy Seeder with combine harvester (HS), Happy Seeder with Mulcher and combine harvesting, and conventional tillage (CT). By evaluating soil nutrient content, including organic carbon (OC), N, P, and K, at a 0–10 cm depth, the study demonstrates the superiority of the mulcher with Happy Seeder (MHS), which significantly increased soil nutrient levels by 105, 59, 102, and 97%, respectively, compared to conventional tilled broadcasted wheat (CT). Furthermore, the MHS treatment exhibited the highest yield of 56.8 q ha −1 , outperforming the yield of 43.6 q ha −1 recorded under conventional tilled broadcasted wheat. These findings underscore the critical role of surface residue retention with MHS in ensuring crop productivity and overall production sustainability of the RWCS in Haryana, India. Moreover, effective rice residue management holds long-term implications for agricultural resilience, farm economics, environmental conservation, and human health. It emphasizes the importance of adopting sustainable practices, prioritizing research efforts, and advocating for policies that ensure the prolonged sustainability and productivity of the RWCS while safeguarding environmental well-being.

Keywords: crop productivity; rice residue burning; environment; soil fertility; sustainable agriculture; tillage practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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