Role of Conservation Agriculture for Sustaining Soil Quality and Improving Crop Productivity- A Review
Tanveer Ahmad Ahngar *
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Zahida Rashid
Dryland Agricultural Research Station, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Raies Ahmad Bhat
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Waseem Raja
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Sadaf Iqbal
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Mohd Salim Mir
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Seerat Jan
Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Intensive agriculture and excessive use of external inputs are leading to degradation of soil and water resources and negatively affecting agricultural production. This review article aims to determine the role of conservation agriculture for sustaining soil quality and improving crop productivity. Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices cause prominent changes in physical, chemical and biological properties of soil compared to conventional agricultural practices. The improved bio-physico-chemical qualities of soil in turn, affect the ecosystem services and sustainability of crop production system through counterbalancing the climate variability with the help of increasing sink for carbon sequestration within the soil. There was significant interaction of tillage and cropping system on mineral nitrogen measured at the beginning of the cropping system. Mineral N contents were higher with manual tillage and no tillage systems compared with conventional tillage in the soybean maize rotation system. Conservation agriculture also helps in improving the crop production in a sustainable way hence there is an intense need of conservation agriculture which will not only meet the present and future demand of ever increasing population, but also seize degradation of environmental quality.
Keywords: Agriculture, conservation, tillage, crop-production, environment