1
|
Jat GS, Behera TK, Singh AK, Bana RS, Singh D, Godara S, Reddy UK, Rao PG, Ram H, Vinay ND, Kumar S, Tomar BS. Antioxidant activities, dietary nutrients, and yield potential of bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia L.) lines in diverse growing environments. Front Nutr 2024; 11:1393476. [PMID: 39166126 PMCID: PMC11333371 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1393476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The biotic and abiotic stresses cause a significant decline in the yield and fruit quality traits, including antioxidants and minerals, of bitter gourd when grown in open fields. Protected cultivation technology has emerged to minimize such stresses. We investigated the effect of diverse environments (hi-tech greenhouse, naturally ventilated polyhouse, insect-proof net-house, and open field) and breeding lines on earliness, yield potential, antioxidant activities, and dietary nutrients. In the GYT analysis, 12 treatment combinations involving four growing environments and three breeding lines of bitter gourd were examined. The 3-year study suggested that the cultivation of bitter gourd crops in an insect-proof net house (NH) showed superior performance in earliness, yield-attributing traits, antioxidant activities, and dietary nutrients, followed by a naturally ventilated polyhouse (NP). However, NH was on par with NP and significantly better than the open-field-grown crop. The GYT biplot analysis highlighted that the combinations of NH and Pusa Rasdar outperformed and were the most stable treatments for all the traits investigated, followed by NH in conjunction with S32 and S57 lines. This study suggests that growing bitter gourd in protected environments is the optimal strategy to achieve early market prices and improve the yield and nutritional quality of the fruits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gograj Singh Jat
- Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Tusar Kanti Behera
- Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
- ICAR–Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Awani Kumar Singh
- Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Ram Swaroop Bana
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepak Singh
- ICAR–Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Samarth Godara
- ICAR–Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Umesh K. Reddy
- Department of Biology, Gus R. Douglass Institute, West Virginia State University, Institute, WV, United States
| | - P. Gangadhara Rao
- Department of Vegetable Science, Dr. YSR Horticultural University, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - H. Ram
- ICAR–Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
| | - N. D. Vinay
- ICAR–National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Sachin Kumar
- Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Bhoopal Singh Tomar
- Division of Vegetable Science, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Singh RK, Upadhyay PK, Dhar S, G. A. R, Singh VK, Kumar R, Singh RK, Shekhawat K, Rathore SS, Dass A, Kumar A, Gupta G, Rajpoot S, Prakash V, Sarkar S, Sharma NK, Rawat S, Singh S. System of wheat intensification (SWI): Effects on lodging resistance, photosynthetic efficiency, soil biomes, and water productivity. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299785. [PMID: 38598442 PMCID: PMC11006180 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Intense cultivation with narrow row spacing in wheat, a common practice in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia, renders the crop more susceptible to lodging during physiological maturity. This susceptibility, compounded by the use of traditional crop cultivars, has led to a substantial decline in overall crop productivity. In response to these challenges, a two-year field study on the system of wheat intensification (SWI) was conducted. The study involved three different cultivation methods in horizontal plots and four wheat genotypes in vertical plots, organized in a strip plot design. Our results exhibited that adoption of SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm resulted in significantly higher intercellular CO2 concentration (5.9-6.3%), transpiration rate (13.2-15.8%), stomatal conductance (55-59%), net photosynthetic rate (126-160%), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception (1.6-25.2%) over the existing conventional method (plant geometry 22.5 cm × continuous plant to plant spacing) of wheat cultivation. The lodging resistance capacity of both the lower and upper 3rd nodes was significantly higher in the SWI compared to other cultivation methods. Among different genotypes, HD 2967 demonstrated the highest recorded value for lodging resistance capacity, followed by HD 2851, HD 3086, and HD 2894. In addition, adoption of the SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm enhanced crop grain yield by 36.9-41.6%, and biological yield by 27.5-29.8%. Significantly higher soil dehydrogenase activity (12.06 μg TPF g-1 soil hr-1), arylsulfatase activity (82.8 μg p-nitro phenol g-1 soil hr-1), alkaline phosphatase activity (3.11 n moles ethylene g-1 soil hr-1), total polysaccharides, soil microbial biomass carbon, and soil chlorophyll content were also noted under SWI over conventional method of the production. Further, increased root volumes, surface root density and higher NPK uptake were recorded under SWI at 20×20 cm in comparison to rest of the treatments. Among the tested wheat genotypes, HD-2967 and HD-3086 had demonstrated notable increases in grain and biological yields, as well as improvements in the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and chlorophyll content. Therefore, adoption of SWI at 20 cm ×20 cm (square planting) with cultivars HD 2967 might be the best strategy for enhancing crop productivity and resource-use efficiency under the similar wheat growing conditions of India and similar agro-ecotypes of the globe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Kumar Singh
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
- Department of Animal Husbandry, Lucknow, India
| | | | - Shiva Dhar
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajanna G. A.
- ICAR- Directorate of Groundnut Research, Regional Station, Ananthapur, India
| | - Vinod Kumar Singh
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, India
| | | | | | | | - Anchal Dass
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Kumar
- ICAR-Research Complex for NEH Region, Sikkim, India
| | - Gaurendra Gupta
- ICAR- Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, India
| | | | | | | | | | - Satyam Rawat
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Satendra Singh
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Verma G, Dhaka AK, Singh B, Kumar A, Choudhary AK, Kumar A, Kamboj NK, Hasanain M, Singh S, Bhupenchandra I, Shabnam, Sanwal P, Kumar S. Productivity, soil health, and carbon management index of soybean-wheat cropping system under double zero-tillage and natural-farming based organic nutrient management in north-Indian plains. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170418. [PMID: 38286294 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Conservation-agriculture and organic-farming are two sustainable-agriculture approaches to ensure food security and environmental-sustainability. Hence, a field study assessed the productivity, soil-health and carbon-dynamics of soybean-wheat cropping system (SWCS) under four tillage and residue-management practices (TRMPs) viz., Conventional-tillage without residues (CT-R), conventional-tillage with residue-retention in both crops at 3 t ha-1 each (CT + R), zero-tillage without residues (ZT-R), and zero-tillage with residue-retention in both crops at 3 t ha-1 each (ZT + R); and five organic-nutrient-management-practices (ONMPs) in both crops viz., 100 % RDF (N1), 100 % RDN through FYM (N2), 100 % RDN through VC (N3), 100 % RDN through FYM + Biofertilizers + Cow-urine + Panchgavya + Jeevamrut (N4), and 100 % RDN through VC + Biofertilizers + Cow-urine + Panchgavya + Jeevamrut (N5), in split-plot-design replicated-thrice. Among TRMPs, ZT + R enhanced system-productivity (SEY) by ∼17.2 % over CT-R, besides improved soil available-N, P, K by 6.4, 6.5 and 6.5 %, respectively. SMBC, SMBN and SMBP were higher under ZT + R by 16.2, 21.5 and 10.8 % over CT-R, respectively. ZT + R had higher soil enzyme activities of DHA, Acid-P, ALP, URA, and FDA over CT-R by 19.4, 20.7, 21.5, 20.7 and 15.2 %, respectively. ZT + R also had higher VLC, ACP, LI and CMI over CT-R. Among ONMPs, the natural-farming based ONMP, N5 considerably improved SMBC, SMBN, SMBP, FDA, DHA, Acid-P, URA, and ALP by 12.7-12.9 % over N1 (100 % RDF). ONMP-N5 improved the available-N, P, K content over N1 by 6.6, 5.8 and 6.7 %, respectively. ONMP-N5 had higher (p < 0.05) microbial-count, VLC, APC, LI and CMI; however, system-productivity was ∼4.1 % lower than N1 in this two-years' short-study which further need investigation in multi-location long-term experiments. Overall, the dual-crop basis ZT + R at 6 t ha-1 year-1 + NF-based ONMPs (N5) may harness higher and sustained productivity under SWCS besides advancing soil-health and soil carbon-pools in sandy-loam soils of north-Indian plains and similar soils across south-Asia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Verma
- Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | - A K Dhaka
- Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | - Bhagat Singh
- Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | - Adarsh Kumar
- ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau 275103, India; Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India.
| | - Anil K Choudhary
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India; Division of Crop Production, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171001, India.
| | - Amit Kumar
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Sikkim Centre, Gangtok 737102, India
| | - Navish K Kamboj
- Regional Research Station, Bawal, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | | | - Sachin Singh
- Department of Agronomy, Janta Vedic College, Bagpat 250611, India
| | - Ingudam Bhupenchandra
- ICAR-KVK Tamenglong, ICAR-Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Manipur Centre, India
| | - Shabnam
- Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | - Priyanka Sanwal
- Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| | - Satender Kumar
- Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, India
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Korav S, Yadav DB, Yadav A, Rajanna GA, Parshad J, Tallapragada S, Elansary HO, Mahmoud EA. Rice residue management alternatives in rice-wheat cropping system: impact on wheat productivity, soil organic carbon, water and microbial dynamics. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1822. [PMID: 38245582 PMCID: PMC10799959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52319-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) predominates, producing large quantity of crop residue and its management is major concern. Farmers usually burn the residue to clear the field for succeding crop, and burning damages soil microbes, resulted in loss of soil organic matter. Hence, current study was conducted to assess the impact of different Happy seeder based residue management options on changes in microbial dynamics, enzyme activities and soil organic matter content and also to know that alternative method for attaining sustainable wheat productivity in sandy loam soils of Haryana, India. Results revealed that Zero tillage wheat (ZTW) with partial and full residue retention treatments sown with Happy seeder (after using chopper and spreader), and ZTW with anchored stubbles significantly enhanced soil microbial count by 47.9-60.4%, diazotropic count by 59.0-73.1% and actinomycetes count by 47.3-55.2%, grain yield by 9.8-11.3% and biomass yield by 7.4-9.6% over conventional tilled (CT) residue burning and residue removal plots. ZTW sown with surface retention of rice crop residue increased the organic carbon by 0.36-0.42% and the soil moisture content by 13.4-23.6% over CTW without residue load. Similarly, ZTW sown with Happy seeder with full residue enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity from 95.3 µg TPF g-1 soil 24 h-1 in 2018-2019 to 98.6 µg TPF g-1 soil 24 h-1 in 2019-2020 over control plots. Likely, microbial population and enzymatic activity showed strong positive correlation under variable residue retention practices. However, increased microbial population reduced the soil pH from 7.49 to 7.27 under ZTW with residue retention plots. The wheat yield enhanced by 9.8-11.3% during 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 under ZTW with Happy seeder with full residue load over residue burning and residue removal plots. ZTW sown with Happy seeder under full residue retention, achieved maximum net return 43.16-57.08 × 103 ₹ ha-1) and B-C ratio (1.52 to 1.70) over CTW without residue. Therefore, rice residue needs to be managed by planting wheat using appropriate machinery under ZT for sustaining higher productivity in RWCS and improve soil health and environment under IGP regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Korav
- Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India.
- Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University (Phagwara) Jalandhar, Punjab, 144411, India.
| | - Dharam Bir Yadav
- Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Ashok Yadav
- Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - G A Rajanna
- ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh, Gujrat, 362001, India
| | - Jagdish Parshad
- Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Sridevi Tallapragada
- Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125004, India
| | - Hosam O Elansary
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eman A Mahmoud
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, 34511, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bana RS, Choudhary AK, Nirmal RC, Kuri BR, Sangwan S, Godara S, Bansal R, Singh D, Rana D. High-value crops' embedded groundnut-based production systems vis-à-vis system-mode integrated nutrient management: long-term impacts on system productivity, system profitability, and soil bio-fertility indicators in semi-arid climate. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1298946. [PMID: 38239227 PMCID: PMC10794608 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1298946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
The current study identified two new climate-resilient groundnut-based cropping systems (GBCSs), viz., groundnut-fenugreek cropping system (GFCS) and groundnut-marigold cropping system (GMCS), with appropriate system-mode bio-compost embedded nutrient management schedules (SBINMSs) for semi-arid South Asia. This 5-year field study revealed that the GMCS along with leaf compost (LC) + 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF50) in wet-season crop (groundnut) and 100% RDF (RDF100) in winter-season crop (marigold) exhibited the highest system productivity (5.13-5.99 t/ha), system profits (US$ 1,767-2,688/ha), and soil fertility (available NPK). Among SBINMSs, the application of 5 t/ha leaf and cow dung mixture compost (LCMC) with RDF50 showed the highest increase (0.41%) in soil organic carbon (SOC) followed by LC at 5 t/ha with RDF50 and RDF100. Legume-legume rotation (GFCS) had significantly higher soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) than legume-non-legume rotations (groundnut-wheat cropping system (GWCS) and GMCS). Among SBINMSs, the highest SMBC (201 µg/g dry soil) and SMBN (27.9 µg/g dry soil) were obtained when LCMC+RDF50 was applied to groundnut. The SMBC : SMBN ratio was the highest in the GWCS. LC+RDF50 exhibited the highest SMBC : SOC ratio (51.6). The largest increase in soil enzymatic activities was observed under LCMC+RDF50. Overall, the GMCS with LC+RDF50 in the wet season and RDF100 in the winter season proved highly productive and remunerative with better soil bio-fertility. SBINMSs saved chemical fertilizers by ~25%' in addition to enhanced system productivity and system profits across GBCSs in semi-arid regions of South Asia. Future research needs to focus on studying the potential of diversified production systems on water and environmental footprints, carbon dynamics, and energy productivity under semi-arid ecologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ram Swaroop Bana
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Anil K. Choudhary
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
- Division of Crop Production, ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Ravi C. Nirmal
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Bhola Ram Kuri
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pali, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India
| | - Seema Sangwan
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Samarth Godara
- Division of Computer Applications, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Ruchi Bansal
- Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepak Singh
- Division of Computer Applications, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - D.S. Rana
- Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kumar A, Choudhary AK. Food-energy‑carbon nexus of Himalayan okra-pea cropping system: Impacts of AM-fungi, precision phosphorus and irrigation regimes in an acid Alfisol. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 899:165589. [PMID: 37481087 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Conventional farming practices are energy and carbon-intensive. Low-cost technologies like AM-fungi (AMF) and precision P-management vis-à-vis precision irrigation-scheduling may enhance P-bioavailability, and crop- and water-productivity with reduced energy and carbon-footprints in acid-Alfisol of north-western Himalayas. Hence, an experiment was done in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)-pea (Pisum sativum) cropping system (OPCS) using AMF (Glomus mosseae) at three inorganic-P levels (50, 75 & 100 % of soil-test based P-dose) and two irrigation-regimes (40 & 80 % AWC). AMF-inoculation significantly enhanced the system-productivity (∼11 %), bio-energy output (∼8 %) and SOC-storage over non-AMF plots in OPCS. Carbon-input use followed the trend of water>diesel>fertilizers> FYM > herbicides> pesticides>AMF in OPCS. AMF-inoculation significantly reduced the carbon-footprints (0.466 kg CO2-e kg-1) by ∼10.2 % over non-AMF plots. Soil-test based 100 % P-dose significantly enhanced the system-productivity (6.3-15.6 %) and bio-energy output (4.7-12.6 %) with lesser carbon-footprints (5.3-15 %) over 50 and 75 % P-dose. Irrigation at 80 % AWC enhanced system-productivity (∼4.1 %), however at 40 % AWC reduced carbon-footprints by ∼11.7 % besides saving irrigation-water by ∼24 % (150 mm ha-1/year) in OPCS. Hence, farmers must necessarily use AMF-inoculation coupled with soil-test based P-fertilization (75-100 %) while preserving a balance in irrigation water-use at 40-80 % AWC depending upon water-availability for higher crop- and water-productivity besides lesser energy and carbon-footprints in OPCS in Himalayan acid Alfisol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anil Kumar
- CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India; Farm Science Centre, GAD Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Tarn Taran, Punjab, India
| | - Anil K Choudhary
- CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India; ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India; ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bana RS, Faiz MA, Sangwan S, Choudhary AK, Bamboriya SD, Godara S, Nirmal RC. Triple-zero tillage and system intensification lead to enhanced productivity, micronutrient biofortification and moisture-stress tolerance ability in chickpea in a pearlmillet-chickpea cropping system of semi-arid climate. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10226. [PMID: 37353506 PMCID: PMC10290053 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36044-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Pearlmillet-chickpea cropping system (PCCS) is emerging as an important sequence in semi-arid regions of south-Asia owing to less water-requirement. However, chickpea (dry-season crop) faces comparatively acute soil moisture-deficit over pearlmillet (wet-season crop), limiting overall sustainability of PCCS. Hence, moisture-management (specifically in chickpea) and system intensification is highly essential for sustaining the PCCS in holistic manner. Since, conservation agriculture (CA) has emerged is an important climate-smart strategy to combat moisture-stress alongwith other production-vulnerabilities. Hence, current study comprised of three tillage systems in main-plots viz., Complete-CA with residue retention (CAc), Partial-CA without residue-retention (CAp), and Conventional-tillage (ConvTill) under three cropping systems in sub-plots viz., conventionally grown pearlmillet-chickpea cropping system (PCCS) alongwith two intensified systems i.e. pearlmillet-chickpea-fodder pearlmillet cropping system (PCFCS) and pearlmillet-chickpea-mungbean cropping system (PCMCS) in split-plot design. The investigation outcomes mainly focused on chickpea (dry-season crop) revealed that, on an average, there was a significant increase in chickpea grain yield under CAc to the tune of 27, 23.5 and 28.5% under PCCS, PCFCS and PCMCS, respectively over ConvTill. NPK uptake and micronutrient (Fe and Zn) biofortification in chickpea grains were again significantly higher under triple zero-tilled CAc plots with residue-retention; which was followed by triple zero-tilled CAp plots without residue-retention and the ConvTill plots. Likewise, CAc under PCMCS led to an increase in relative leaf water (RLW) content in chickpea by ~ 20.8% over ConvTill under PCCS, hence, ameliorating the moisture-stress effects. Interestingly, CA-management and system-intensification significantly enhanced the plant biochemical properties in chickpea viz., super-oxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase; thus, indicating their prime role in inducing moisture-stress tolerance ability in moisture-starved chickpea. Triple zero-tilled CAc plots also reduced the N2O fluxes in chickpea but with slightly higher CO2 emissions, however, curtailed the net GHG-emissions. Triple zero-tilled cropping systems (PCFCS and PCMCS) both under CAc and Cap led to a significant improvement in soil microbial population and soil enzymes activities (alkaline phosphatase, fluorescein diacetate, dehydrogenase). Overall, the PCCS system-intensification with mungbean (PCMCS) alongwith triple zero-tillage with residue-retention (CAc) may amply enhance the productivity, micronutrient biofortification and moisture-stress tolerance ability in chickpea besides propelling the ecological benefits under semi-arid agro-ecologies. However, the farmers should preserve a balance while adopting CAc or CAp where livestock equally competes for quality fodder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ram Swaroop Bana
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Mukhtar Ahmad Faiz
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India.
- Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan.
| | - Seema Sangwan
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Anil K Choudhary
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India.
- ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171001, India.
| | - Shanti D Bamboriya
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana, Punjab, 141004, India
| | - Samarth Godara
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | | |
Collapse
|