Analyzing the Trade-Offs between Soil Health Enhancement, Carbon Sequestration, and Productivity in Central India’s Black Soil through Conservation Agriculture

Chetna Kumbhar, Vilas Kharche, Pratik Ramteke (), Shyam Jadhao, Sanjay Bhoyar, Nitin Konde, Dnyaneshwar Mali, Bhagwan Sonune, Salah El-Hendawy and Mohamed A. Mattar ()
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Chetna Kumbhar: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Vilas Kharche: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Pratik Ramteke: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Shyam Jadhao: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Sanjay Bhoyar: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Nitin Konde: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Dnyaneshwar Mali: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Bhagwan Sonune: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola 444104, India
Salah El-Hendawy: Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed A. Mattar: Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: The impact of conservation tillage (CST) practices on soil properties, carbon sequestration and yield sustainability over short, medium, and long durations remain insufficiently understood, especially in semiarid Central India. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the effects and optimal duration of CST adoption for enhancing soil properties, carbon sequestration, and sustainable yields. We conducted a study in farmers’ fields in the Akola district of Central India, where CST had been practised for 4 to 15 years, within a soybean + pigeon pea–chickpea cropping sequence. Our findings revealed significant ( p < 0.05) improvements in soil physical properties with short-term CST practices (4 to 6 years), alongside increasing availability of nitrogen and phosphorus, with longer durations of CST implementation (10 to 15 years). The lowest soil organic carbon (SOC) was observed in conventional tillage (CT_y), while all CST practices increased SOC content over CT_y, ranging from 22.2 to 38.4%. Further, experimental soil dominated passive C pools (Cfrac3 + Cfrac4). Consequently, long-term CST practices facilitated positive C sequestration rates, contrasting with negative or minimal sequestration observed in CT_y and short-term CST treatments. However, compared to CST, CT_y demonstrated higher soybean equivalent yields and comparable chickpea equivalent yields mainly due to delayed germinations induced by lower soil temperatures in CST plots. We conclude that integrating site-specific characteristics, management practices, and regional climate conditions into conservation agriculture frameworks maximizes efficacy and ensures sustainable productivity. These findings help optimize agricultural practices considering potential yield losses or minimal changes despite implementing CST.

Keywords: conservation tillage; Vertisol; legume intercropping; soil properties; carbon pools; yield sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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