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Conservation Agriculture as a System to Enhance Ecosystem Services

Author

Listed:
  • Somasundaram Jayaraman

    (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Bhopal 462038, Madhya Pradesh, India)

  • Yash P. Dang

    (School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia)

  • Anandkumar Naorem

    (ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Bhuj 370105, Gujarat, India)

  • Kathryn L. Page

    (School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia)

  • Ram C. Dalal

    (School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia)

Abstract

Conservation agriculture (CA) is considered a sustainable practice with the potential to maintain or increase crop productivity and improve environmental quality and ecosystem services. It typically improves soil quality and water conservation; however, its effect on crop productivity is highly variable and dependent on local conditions/management. Crop residue retention plays a crucial role in CA and can help to improve overall soil health and ultimately crop productivity and sustainability. However, weed control, herbicide resistance, and weed shift under residue retained fields is a major challenge. Moreover, CA can increase water infiltration and reduce soil loss and runoff. This reduces the surface transport of nitrate and phosphorus from agricultural fields and the eutrophication of water bodies, although leaching of nitrate to groundwater can potentially increase. In addition, CA has been proposed as one of the components in climate-smart agriculture, owing to its reduced period to seed/plant next crop, reduced soil disturbance and low consumption of fossil fuels. Therefore, compared to the conventional intensive tillage, CA has a greater potential for soil C sequestration, favors higher soil biodiversity, lowers greenhouse gas emission, and can assist in mitigating climate change. However, not all experiments report a positive impact. The understanding and decoding the site-specific complexities of CA system is important and requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Somasundaram Jayaraman & Yash P. Dang & Anandkumar Naorem & Kathryn L. Page & Ram C. Dalal, 2021. "Conservation Agriculture as a System to Enhance Ecosystem Services," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-14, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:8:p:718-:d:604229
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Massamba Diop & Ngonidzashe Chirinda & Adnane Beniaich & Mohamed El Gharous & Khalil El Mejahed, 2022. "Soil and Water Conservation in Africa: State of Play and Potential Role in Tackling Soil Degradation and Building Soil Health in Agricultural Lands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-29, October.
    2. Kaiwen Chen & Shuang’en Yu & Tao Ma & Jihui Ding & Pingru He & Yao Li & Yan Dai & Guangquan Zeng, 2022. "Modeling the Water and Nitrogen Management Practices in Paddy Fields with HYDRUS-1D," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Somasundaram Jayaraman & Meenakshi Sahu & Nishant K. Sinha & Monoranjan Mohanty & Ranjeet S. Chaudhary & Brijesh Yadav & Lalit K. Srivastava & Kuntal M. Hati & Ashok K. Patra & Ram C. Dalal, 2022. "Conservation Agricultural Practices Impact on Soil Organic Carbon, Soil Aggregation and Greenhouse Gas Emission in a Vertisol," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Subhradip Bhattacharjee & Amitava Panja & Moumita Panda & Subham Dutta & Susanta Dutta & Rakesh Kumar & Dinesh Kumar & Malu Ram Yadav & Tatiana Minkina & Valery P. Kalinitchenko & Rupesh Kumar Singh &, 2023. "How Did Research on Conservation Agriculture Evolve over the Years? A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, January.

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