Effect of Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices on Climate Change Adaptation, Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Economic Efficiency of Rice-Wheat System in India

Suresh K. Kakraliya, Hanuman S. Jat, Tek B. Sapkota, Ishwar Singh, Manish Kakraliya, Manoj K. Gora, Parbodh C. Sharma and Mangi L. Jat
Additional contact information
Suresh K. Kakraliya: Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
Hanuman S. Jat: ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal 132001, India
Tek B. Sapkota: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi 110012, India
Ishwar Singh: Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
Manish Kakraliya: Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
Manoj K. Gora: Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
Parbodh C. Sharma: ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal 132001, India
Mangi L. Jat: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi 110012, India

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Conventional rice–wheat (RW) rotation in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of South Asia is tillage, water, energy, and capital intensive. Coupled with these, crop residue burning contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and environmental pollution. So, to evaluate the GHG mitigation potential of various climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs), an on-farm research trial was conducted during 2014–2017 in Karnal, India. Six management scenarios (portfolios of practices), namely, Sc1—business as usual (BAU)/conventional tillage (CT) without residue, Sc2—CT with residue, Sc3—reduced tillage (RT) with residue + recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), Sc4—RT/zero tillage (ZT) with residue + RDF, Sc5—ZT with residue + RDF + GreenSeeker + Tensiometer, and Sc6—Sc5 + nutrient-expert tool, were included. The global warming potential (GWP) of the RW system under CSAPs (Sc4, Sc5, and Sc6) and the improved BAU (Sc2 and Sc3) were 33–40% and 4–26% lower than BAU (7653 kg CO 2 eq./ha/year), respectively. This reflects that CSAPs have the potential to mitigate GWP by ~38 7 metric tons (Mt) CO 2 eq./year from the 13.5 Mha RW system of South Asia. Lower GWP under CSAPs resulted in 36–44% lower emission intensity (383 kg CO 2 eq./Mg/year) compared to BAU (642 kg CO 2 eq./Mg/year). Meanwhile, the N-factor productivity and eco-efficiency of the RW system under CSAPs were 32–57% and 70–105% higher than BAU, respectively, which reflects that CSAPs are more economically and environmentally sustainable than BAU. The wheat yield obtained under various CSAPs was 0.62 Mg/ha and 0.84 Mg/ha higher than BAU during normal and bad years (extreme weather events), respectively. Thus, it is evident that CSAPs can cope better with climatic extremes than BAU. Therefore, a portfolio of CSAPs should be promoted in RW belts for more adaptation and climate change mitigation.

Keywords: global warming potential; C-sequestration; climate change mitigation; eco-efficiency; no-tillage and residue management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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