Conservation

agriculture

ABSTRACT

Conservation agriculture (CA) technologies involve minimum soil disturbance,

permanent soil cover through crop residues or cover crops, and crop rotations for
achieving higher productivity. The technologies of CA provide opportunities to reduce
the cost of production, save water and nutrients, increase yields, increase crop
diversification, improve efficient use of resources, and benefit the environment
INTRODUCTION

Attaining food security for a growing population and alleviating poverty while
sustaining agricultural systems under the current scenario of depleting natural
resources, negative impacts of climatic variability, spiralling cost of inputs and volatile
food prices are the major challenges before most of the Asian countries. In addition
to these challenges, the principal indicators of non-sustainability of agricultural
systems includes: soil erosion, soil organic matter decline, and salinization. These
are caused mainly by: (i) intensive tillage induced soil organic matter decline, soil
structural degradation, water and wind erosion, reduced water infiltration rates,
surface sealing and crusting, soil compaction, (ii) insufficient return of organic
material, and (iii) mono-cropping

What is Conservation Agriculture?

CA is a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to

achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while
concurrently conserving the environment. CA is based on enhancing natural
biological processes above and below the ground. Interventions such as mechanical
soil tillage are reduced to an absolute minimum, and the use of external inputs such
as agrochemicals and nutrients of mineral or organic origin are applied at an
optimum level and in a way and quantity that does not interfere with, or disrupt, the
biological processes. CA is characterized by three principles which are linked to each
other, namely:

Continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance.

Permanent organic soil cover.
Diversified crop rotations in the case of annual crops or plant
associations in case of perennial crop

Conventional "arable" agriculture is normally based on soil tillage as the main

operation. The most widely known tool for this operation is the plough, which has
become a symbol of agriculture. Soil tillage has in the past been associated with
increased fertility, which originated from the mineralization of soil nutrients as a
consequence of soil tillage. This process leads in the long term to a reduction of soil
organic matter. Soil organic matter not only provides nutrients for the crop, but it is
also, above all else, a crucial element for the stabilization of soil structure. Therefore,
most soils degrade under prolonged intensive arable agriculture. This structural
degradation of the soils results in the formation of crusts and compaction and leads
in the end to soil erosion. The process is dramatic under tropical climatic situations
but can be noticed all over the world. Mechanization of soil tillage, allowing higher
working depths and speeds and the use of certain implements like ploughs, disk
harrows and rotary cultivators have particularly detrimental effects on soil structure

Excessive tillage of agricultural soils may result in short term increases in fertility, but
will degrade soils in the medium term. Structural degradation, loss of organic matter,
erosion and falling biodiversity are all to be expected.
Soil erosion resulting from soil tillage has forced us to look for alternatives and to
reverse the process of soil degradation. The logical approach to this has been to
reduce tillage. This led finally to movements promoting conservation tillage, and
especially zero-tillage, particularly in southern Brazil, North America, New Zealand
and Australia. Over the last two decades the technologies have been improved and

adapted for nearly all farm sizes; soils; crop types; and climatic zones. Experience is
still being gained with this new approach to agriculture and FAO has supported the
process for many years.

GOALS OF CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

FAO defined goals of conservation agriculture as follows:
Conservation agriculture aims to conserve , improve , and make more efficient use
of natural resources through integrated management of available soil , water , and
biological resources combined with external inputs . It contributes to the
environmental conservation as well as to the enhanced and sustained agricultural
production. Therefore, it can also be referred to as resource efficient or resource
effective agriculture .

The main principles of conservation agriculture

Conservation agriculture systems utilize soils for the production

of crops with the aim of reducing excessive mixing of the soil

and maintaining crop residues on the soil surface in order to

minimize damage to the environment.
By doing this Conservation agriculture will:

Provide and maintain an optimum environment of the root-zone to maximum

possible depth. Roots are able to function effectively and without restrictions
to capture high amounts of plant nutrients and water.

Ensure that water enters the soil so that (a) plants never, or for the shortest
time possible, suffer water stress that will limit the expression of their potential
growth; and so that (b) residual water passes down to groundwater and
stream flow, not over the surface as runoff.

Favour beneficial biological activity in the soil in order to (a) maintain and
rebuild soil architecture; (b) compete with potential in-soil pathogens; (c)
contribute to soil organic matter and various grades of humus; (d) contribute
to capture, retention, chelation and slow release of plant nutrients.

Avoid physical or chemical damage to roots that disrupts their effective

functioning.

The three principles of conservation agriculture include:

1 Principle of Minimum Soil Disturbance:

. reduces destruction of the soil structure;
does not expose soil to wind and water erosion;
improves water infiltration rates;
slows the rate at which organic matter is mineralized
and oxidised, so
Organic matter build-up occurs;
causes little disruption to the organisms that live in the
soil.
saves time, energy, and money because less land is
tilled.

2 The Principle of Permanent Soil Cover:

helps reduce direct raindrop impact and so reduces soil erosion

helps reduce runoff and helps water to seep into the soil;
reduces evaporation and so conserves moisture for the crop;
suppresses weeds emergence;

The organic residues improve organic matter

content and soil nutrient Status;
provides a beneficial environment for soil organisms, such as worms
and millipedes, that are important for biological
tillage;

3 Principle of Mixing and Rotating Crops:

replenishes soil fertility: intercropping with nitrogen-fixing
Legume cropes Top-dressing fertilizer to the soil;
enables crops to use the nutrients in the soil more effectively:
helps to control weeds, diseases and pests by breaking their lifecycles
Through the introduction of a new crop.

Advantages of zero tillage

1. Improves soil tilth
A continuous no-till system increases soil particle aggregation (small soil clumps)
making it easier for plants to establish roots. Improved soil tilth also can minimize
compaction. Of course, compaction is also reduced by reducing trips across the field.

2. Increases organic matter

The latest research shows the more soil is tilled, the more carbon is released to the
air and the less carbon is available to build organic matter for future crops. In fact,
carbon accounts for about half of organic matter .

3. Traps soil moisture to improve water availability

Keeping crop residue on the surface traps water in the soil by providing shade. The
shade reduces water evaporation. In addition, residue acts as tiny dams slowing
runoff and increasing the opportunity for water to soak into the soil. Another way
infiltration increases is by the channels (macro pores) created by earthworms and
old plant roots. In fact, continuous no-till can result in as much as two additional
inches of water available to plants in late summer.

4. Reduces soil erosion

Crop residues on the soil surface reduce erosion by water and wind. Depending on
the amount of residues present, soil erosion can be reduced by up to 90% compared
to an unprotected, intensively tilled field.

5. Improves air quality

Crop residue left on the surface improves air quality because it: Reduces wind
erosion, thus it reduces the amount of dust in the air; Reduces fossil fuel emissions
from tractors by making fewer trips across the field; and Reduces the release of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by tying up more carbon in organic matter.

Zero Tillage A cost effective and input use efficient technology

6. Better plant stand

Constraints for adoption of conservation agriculture

1. Lack of appropriate seeders especially for small and medium scale
farmers: Although significant efforts have been made in developing and
promoting machinery for seeding wheat in no till systems, successful adoption
will call for accelerated effort in developing, standardizing and promoting
quality machinery aimed at a range of crop and cropping sequences. These
would include the development of permanent bed and furrow planting systems
and harvest operations to manage crop residues.
2. The wide spread use of crop residues for livestock feed and fuel: Specially
under rainfed situations, farmers face a scarcity of crop residues due to less
biomass production of different crops. There is competition between CA
practice and livestock feeding for crop residue. This is a major constraint for
promotion of CA under rainfed situations.
3. Burning of crop residues: For timely sowing of the next crop and without
machinery for sowing under CA systems, farmers prefer to sow the crop in
time by burning the residue. This has become a common feature in the ricewheat system in north India. This creates environmental problems for the
region

4. Lack of knowledge about the potential of CA to agriculture leaders,

extension agents and farmers: This implies that the whole range of practices
in conservation agriculture, including planting and harvesting, water and
nutrient management, diseases and pest control etc. need to be evolved,
evaluated and matched in the context of new systems
Conclusion
Conservation agriculture offers a new paradigm for agricultural research and
development different from the conventional one, which mainly aimed at
achieving specific food grains production targets in India. Conservation
agriculture offers an opportunity for arresting and reversing the downward
spiral of resource degradation, decreasing cultivation costs and making
agriculture more resource use-efficient, competitive and sustainable.
Conserving resources enhancing productivity has to be the new mission