Climate-smart agriculture practices influence weed density and diversity in cereal-based agri-food systems of western Indo-Gangetic plains.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Jat HS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8342518 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:In Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of India, natural resources (soil, water, and environment) are degrading under the conventional-till (CT)-based management practices in rice-wheat cropping system. A long-term field experiment was conducted to understand the soil bacterial diversity and abundance under different sets of management scenarios (Sc). The study comprised of four scenarios, namely, -Sc.I CT-based rice-wheat system (farmers' practice); Sc.II, partial conservation agriculture (CA) based in which rice is under CT-wheat and mungbean under zero-tillage (ZT); Sc.III, full CA-based in which rice-wheat-mungbean are under ZT and Sc.IV, where maize-wheat-mungbean are under ZT. These scenarios varied in cropping system, tillage, and crop residue management practices. Using Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology, the variable regions V3-V4 of 16S rRNA were sequenced and the obtained reads were analyzed to study the diversity patterns in the scenarios. Results showed the presence of 53 bacterial phyla across scenarios. The predominant phyla in all scenarios were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes which accounted for more than 70% of the identified phyla. However, the rice-based systems (Sc.I, Sc.II, and Sc.III) were dominated by phylum Proteobacteria; however, maize-based system (Sc.IV) was dominated by Acidobacteria. The class DA052 and Acidobacteriia of Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes of Bacteroidia were exceptionally higher in Sc.IV. Shannon diversity index was 8.8% higher in Sc.I, 7.5% in Sc.II, and 2.7% in Sc.III compared to Sc.IV. The findings revealed that soil bacterial diversity and abundance are influenced by agricultural management practices as bacterial diversity under full CA-based management systems (Sc.III and Sc.IV) was lower when compared to farmer's practice (Sc.I) and partial CA (Sc.II) scenarios.
| S-EPMC6031527 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the western Indo-Gangetic plains, issues of deterioration in soil, water, and environment quality coupled with low profitability jeopardize the sustainability of the dominant rice-wheat (RW) system. To address these issues, crop diversification and conservation agriculture (CA)-based management hold considerable promise but the adoption of both approaches has been low, and additional evidence generation from a multi-criteria productivity and sustainability perspective is likely required to help drive the change. Compared to prevailing farmers' practice (FP), results suggest that CA-based rice management increased profitability by 13% and energy use efficiency (EUE) by 21% while reducing irrigation by 19% and global warming potential (GWP) by 28%. By substituting CA-based maize for rice, similar mean profitability gains were realized (16%) but transformative improvements in irrigation (- 84%), EUE (+ 231%), and GWP (- 95%) were observed compared to FP. Inclusion of mungbean in the rotation (i.e. maize-wheat-mungbean) with CA-based management increased the system productivity, profitability, and EUE by 11, 25 and 103%, respectively while decreasing irrigation water use by 64% and GWP by 106% compared to FP. Despite considerable benefits from the CA-based maize-wheat system, adoption of maize is not widespread due to uneven market demand and assured price guarantees for rice.
| S-EPMC7648623 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Zero tillage (ZT) is widely promoted throughout India's Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) because of its potential to increase wheat productivity and resilience to abiotic stresses. Weeds remain a major barrier to ZT adoption, yet it remains unclear how ZT will influence weed communities in the Eastern-IGP. The primary objective of this study was to characterise the composition of the germinable weed seedbank sampled just prior to the wheat phase of rice-wheat farms in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and examine whether adoption of ZT wheat has shifted weed community composition compared to conventional tillage (CT). Additionally, we examined whether edaphic properties and topography (upland vs. lowland) explain variation in germinable weed seedbank communities. In December 2014, we evaluated the germinable seedbank from 72 fields differing in their historic (>=3 year) tillage practices (ZT vs. CT) in three regions: Samastipur-Vaishali-Muzaffarpur (SVM), Ara-Buxar and Maharajgunj-Kushinagar. Weed community composition and species richness varied by region and topography. ZT adoption was associated with lower relative density of Chenopodium album in the germinable seedbank and lower emergence of Phalaris minor seedlings within farmers' fields. In upland topographies of the SVM region, ZT adoption was also associated with greater relative abundance of Solanum nigrum in the weed seedbank. However, differences between tillage systems in individual species were not large enough to result in detection of differences at the whole-community level. Variation in edaphic properties, most notably soil texture and pH, explained 51% of the variation in the weed seedbank community. Our work suggests several frequent but poorly understood species (e.g. Mazus pumilus and Grangea maderaspatana) in Eastern IGP for which future research should quantify their effects on crop yields. Finally, future work surveying weed species abundance at harvest could further determine the dominant problematic species in these regions.
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Project description:Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of South Asia have supported bulk of human and bovine population in the region since ages, and a spectacular progress has been made in food production. However, malnutrition, diminishing total factor productivity, and natural resource degradation continue to plague this cereal-dominated region, which is also vulnerable to climate change. Addressing these challenges would require a transition towards diversifying cereal rotations with agroecological cropping systems. A study was, therefore, conducted at the experimental farm of ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal on crop diversification and sustainable intensification options using agro-ecological approaches such as Conservation Agriculture (CA) and diversified cropping systems to ensure food and nutritional security while sustaining the natural resources. On 2 years mean basis, CA-based cropping system management scenarios (mean of Sc2-Sc7) using diversified crop rotations; increased the system yield by 15.4%, net return by 28.7%, protein yield by 29.7%, while using 53.0% less irrigation water compared to conventional tillage (CT)-based rice-wheat system (Sc1). Maize-mustard-mungbean on permanent beds (PBs) (Sc4) recorded the highest productivity (+ 40.7%), profitability (+ 60.1%), and saved 81.8% irrigation water compared to Sc1 (11.8 Mg ha-1; 2190 USD ha-1; 2514 mm ha-1). Similarly, Sc5 (maize-wheat-mungbean on PBs) improved productivity (+ 32.2%), profitability (+ 57.4%) and saved irrigation water (75.5%) compared to Sc1. In terms of nutritional value, Sc5 was more balanced than other scenarios, and produced 43.8, 27.5 and 259.8% higher protein, carbohydrate and fat yields, respectively, compared to Sc1 (0.93, 8.55 and 0.14 Mg ha-1). Scenario 5 was able to meet the nutrient demand of 19, 23 and 32 additional persons ha-1 year-1 with respect to protein, carbohydrate and fat, respectively, compared to Sc1. The highest protein water productivity (~ 0.31 kg protein m-3 water) was recorded with CA-based soybean-wheat-mungbean (Sc6) system followed by maize-mustard-mungbean on PBs (Sc4) system (~ 0.29 kg protein m-3) and lowest under Sc1. Integration of short duration legume (mungbean) improved the system productivity by 17.2% and profitability by 32.1%, while triple gains in irrigation water productivity compared to CT-based systems. In western IGP, maize-wheat-mungbean on PBs was found most productive, profitable and nutritionally rich and efficient system compared to other systems. Therefore, diversification of water intensive cereal rotations with inclusion of legumes and CA-based management optimization can be potential option to ensure nutritious food for the dwelling communities and sustainability of natural resources in the region.
| S-EPMC9399183 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) experiences persistent and widespread rise of fog and haze during the winter season. This has been attributed to the rise in pollution levels and water vapor, but the reason for enhancement in latter is not clear yet. We detect moisture incursion from Arabian Sea, a phenomenon called atmospheric rivers (AR), land-falling intermittently along 12-25° N corridor of the west-coast of India during winter; using satellite and reanalysis data. The total vertically integrated horizontal water vapor transport in AR-landfalls ranging from 0.7 × 108 to 2.2 × 108 kg/s; nearly five-orders of magnitude larger than the average discharge of liquid water from Indus River into Arabian Sea. These AR events are playing prominent role in enhancing water vapor over IGP region by 19 ± 5%; in turn fueling the intensification of fog and haze through aerosol-water vapor interaction. We found that AR events enhanced aerosol optical depths over IGP by about 29 ± 13%. The progression of moist-laden winds in ARs onto Himalayan Mountains contributes to the precipitation that explains the observed rise in the extreme flow of western Himalayan Rivers in winter. We conclude that these ARs likely contribute to the decline of snow albedo as pollution-mixed-ARs encounter Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalayan mountain region.
| S-EPMC8948212 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As drinking water is considered as a major pathway of exposure to fluoride in the human body, an endeavor has been made for the assessment of the non-carcinogenic health risk by using hazard quotient (HQ) of fluoride for males, females, and children separately in fluoride affected ground water areas of Indo-Gangetic Alluvial Plains. The study suggests that children groups are more prone to the non-carcinogenic risk of fluoride in the area as HQ for fluoride is more than unitary in 44% (Pre-monsoon) and 38% (Post-monsoon) samples respectively. Field survey conducted in fluoride-affected villagers of the study area portrays cases of mottling of teeth and bone deformities depending on the duration and dosage of fluoride consumption. Petrographic observations of host rocks coupled with molar ratios of chemical species studies exemplify that weathered material developed over the granite-gneiss, mica-schist, amphibolite, granitic intrusive and pegmatite veins due to weathering and extensive water-rock interaction resulting higher concentration of fluoride in groundwater. Likewise, the base exchange index (r1) and meteoric genesis index (r2) advocates that most of the samples belong to Na+-HCO3- type and meteoric origin respectively, and substantiate longer residence time of water along with solute acquisition processes are responsible for elevated fluoride in groundwater. It is, therefore, solar energy-driven electrolytic de-fluoridation technology ought to be provided on a priority basis to the affected inhabitants besides the implementation of rainwater harvesting schemes for mitigation/ dilution of elevated fluoride concentration.
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Project description:Sustainable intensification (SI) approaches to agricultural development are urgently needed to meet the growing demand for crop staples while protecting ecosystem services and environmental quality. However, SI initiatives have been criticized for neglecting social welfare outcomes. A recent review found that better-off farmers benefitted disproportionately from SI and highlighted the dearth of studies assessing the equity of outcomes. In this study, we explore the social inclusiveness of zero-tillage (ZT) wheat adoption in Bihar, India. ZT is a proven SI technology for enhancing wheat productivity while boosting profitability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural machinery in the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plains. With an average landholding size of 0.39?ha, most farmers in Bihar depend on custom-hiring services to access the technology. While service provision models should foster inclusive growth by reducing financial barriers to technology adoption, early evidence suggested that smallholders remained at a disadvantage. Building on this previous research, we use a panel dataset from 961 wheat-growing households that spans a six-year period to analyze ZT adoption dynamics over time while accounting for the role of social networks and access to service provision. Using a heckprobit approach to correct for non-exposure bias, we compare determinants of ZT awareness and use in 2012 and 2015. We apply a multinomial logit model to identify determinants of early adoption, recent adoption, non-adoption, and dis-adoption. Furthermore, we explore the quality of ZT services as an additional dimension of socially-inclusive technology access. We find that the strong initial scale bias in ZT use declined substantially as awareness of the technology increased and the service economy expanded. Land fragmentation replaced total landholding size as a significant adoption determinant, which also affected the quality of ZT services received. Hence, farmers with small but contiguous landholdings appear to have gained a significant degree of access over time. We conclude that early-stage assessments of SI may be misleading, and that private sector-based service provision can contribute to socially inclusive development outcomes as markets mature.
| S-EPMC6737906 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Due to complexity of smallholder farms, many times technologies with great potential fail to achieve the desired impact in leveraging productivity and profitability of the farming community. In the Indo-Gangetic Plains there is an urgent need to understand the diversity of farm households, identifying the main drivers deciding their system thus, classifying them into homogenous groups. In the present study, the diversity of smallholder farms was assessed using crop, livestock and income related characteristics and associated farm mechanization. Using principal component analysis and cluster analysis for 252 farm households, 4 farm types were identified i.e. Type 1. Small Farm households with cereal-based cropping system and subsistence livestock (39%), Type 2. Small Farm households with diversified cropping system dominated by cereal and fodder crops with only cattle herd (9%), Type 3. Marginal Farm household with diversified cropping system dominated by cash crop and herd comprising of only cattle (39%), Type 4. Marginal Farm household with diversified cropping system dominated by cereal crops and herd dominated by small ruminants (12%). Based on the constraints identified for different components of farming systems, low-cost interventions were planned for each farm type. These interventions have resulted in 84.8-103.2 per cent increase in the income of the farm HH under study suggesting usefulness of typology-based intervention planning in increasing income of small farm holders.
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Project description:Lentil is a food legume grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains including lower Gangetic Bengal (LGB). Lentil productivity in this zone is severely impeded because of the prevalence of several biotic cues. Plausible reports regarding the status of disease scenario and the associated risk factors are missing. Therefore, judicious crop management strategies are lacking. An intensive survey of 267 farmers' fields was conducted over 3 years in major lentil-growing districts of LGB to evaluate the disease incidence and prevalence. Additional insights were generated, apprehending isolation and characterisation of associated pathogens through spore morphology and molecular markers as well as elucidating the role of biophysical factors in influencing disease development. Climate change has shifted the disease dimension of lentil and precipitated new disease complexes of great risk, which was reflected through geospatial mapping results in the present study. The prevalence of three major diseases, namely collar rot (Sclerotium rolfsii), lentil blight complex (LBC) incited by both Alternaria and Stemphylium, and lentil rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae), was ascertained through cultural and molecular studies and contextualised through pathogenicity appraisal. This study is the first to investigate the complex mixed infection of Alternaria alternata and Stemphylium botryosum, successfully isolating S. botyrosum in India, and confirming the pathogens through sequencing by using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) primers and Stemphylium-specific Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (gpd1) and gpd2 primers. Unlike late planting, early planting promoted collar rot infestation. LBC and rust incidence were magnified in late planting. Soil texture resulted in the spatial distribution of collar rot disease. The surveyed data also highlighted the potential role of resistant cultivars and cropping pattern intervention to ensure associational resistance towards addressing the disease bottleneck in lentil.
| S-EPMC10920269 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP), conventional rice-wheat system has led to a decline in productivity, input-use efficiency, and profitability. To address these, a four-year field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of tillage and crop establishment (TCE) methods in rice-wheat-greengram rotation. The treatments included: 1) random puddled transplanted rice (RPTR) - conventional-till broadcast wheat (BCW) - zero-till greengram (ZTG); 2) line PTR (LPTR) - conventional-till drill sown wheat (CTW) - ZTG; 3) machine transplanted rice in puddled soil (CTMTR) - zero tillage wheat (ZTW) - ZTG; 4) machine transplanted rice in zero-till wet soil (ZTMTR) - ZTW - ZTG; 5) system of rice intensification (SRI) - system of wheat intensification (SWI) - ZTG; 6) direct-seeded rice (DSR) - ZTW - ZTG; and 7) zero-till DSR - ZTW - ZTG. During the initial two years, conventional rice system (PTR) recorded a 16.2 % higher rice grain yield than DSR system. Whereas in the fourth year, the rice yields under DSR and PTR were comparable. As compared to SRI/SWI, the average wheat yield in ZT system was significantly high, whereas in rice, SRI/SWI system was comparable with CT system. ZTW after non-puddled rice was at par to CTW after PTR. The ZT wheat produced 4.6 % more yield than CT system. DSR production system consumed 6.8 % less water compared to transplanted system. On the system basis, 10.8 % higher net returns were recorded with CA-based system compared to conventional system. The system energy productivity under CA-based production system was 14-36 % higher than PTR-based systems. CA-based system also led to 8-10 % lower global warming potential (GWP) than conventional methods. The current study indicated that as compared to conventional system, a significant gain in productivity, profitability and energy-use efficiency, and reduction in the environmental mitigation are possible with emerging alternative TCE methods. Long-term expansion and further refinement of these technologies in local areas need to be explored for the second green revolution.
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