Post on 08-Jul-2020
Con
serv
ati
on
Agri
cult
ure
is a
conce
pt fo
r re
sou
rce-
savin
g
agricu
ltura
l cr
op p
roduct
ion that
striv
es to a
chie
ve
acc
epta
ble
pro
fits
toget
her
with h
igh a
nd s
ust
ain
ed p
rod
ucti
on
lev
elsw
hile
concu
rren
tly c
onse
rvin
g the
envir
on
men
t-FA
O 2
007
Co
nse
rva
tio
n A
gri
cult
ure
It ref
ers to
pra
ctic
es w
hic
h p
erm
it the
man
agem
ent of th
e so
il
for ag
rarian
use
s w
hile
alte
ring its
com
posi
tion, stru
cture
and
nat
ura
l bio
div
ersity
as little
as poss
ible
, an
d d
efen
din
g it from
deg
radat
ion p
roce
sses
(e.
g. so
il e
rosion a
nd c
om
pac
tion)
It is th
e in
tegra
tion o
f ec
olo
gic
al m
anag
emen
t w
ith m
oder
n,
scie
ntific,
agricu
ltura
l pro
duct
ion
Pri
nci
ple
s o
f C
A
1. M
inim
um
mec
han
ical
soil d
istu
rban
ce
Ero
sion c
ontrol
Soil C
buildup
2. M
anag
ing the
top soil to c
reat
e a
per
man
ent org
anic
soil c
over
Ero
sion c
ontrol
Mois
ture
and tem
per
ature
3. Cro
p rota
tion w
ith m
ore
than
tw
o c
rop spec
ies
Pes
t an
d d
isea
se c
ontrol
Soil infras
truct
ure
Bio
div
ersity
Use
of
inte
gra
ted
pes
t m
an
agem
ent
tech
nolo
gie
s
Red
uce
req
uirem
ents
for pes
tici
des
and h
erbic
ides
Control off-s
ite
pollution
Enhan
ce b
iodiv
ersity
Ap
pli
cati
on
of
fert
iliz
ers
an
d a
gro
chem
icals
in
bala
nce
wit
h c
rop
req
uir
emen
ts
Fee
din
g the
soil rat
her
than
fer
tilizi
ng the
crop
Red
uce
chem
ical
pollution o
f th
e en
vironm
ent
Impro
ve
wat
er q
ual
ity
Optim
izin
gcr
op p
roduct
ivity a
nd the
econom
ic ret
urn
s
Pro
moti
ng p
reci
sion
pla
cem
ent
of
crop
in
pu
ts
Tre
atin
g the
pro
ble
ms
when
and w
her
e th
ey o
ccur, r
ather
than
bla
nket
tre
atm
ent
Incr
ease
d e
conom
ic a
nd fie
ld o
per
atio
n e
ffic
ienci
es
Impro
ved
environm
enta
l pro
tect
ion
Red
uce
d (optim
ized
) in
put co
sts
Com
post
ing a
nd
th
e u
se o
f m
an
ure
s an
d o
ther
org
an
ic s
oil
am
end
men
ts
Impro
ves
soil fer
tility
Red
uce
s th
e nee
d for in
org
anic
fer
tilize
rs
Agro
fore
stry
for
fod
der
,fi
ber
, fr
uit
an
d m
edic
inal
pu
rpose
s Val
ue
added
pro
duct
ion
Conse
rve
and e
nhan
ce b
iodiv
ersity
Soil c
arbon seq
ues
trat
ion
Key features of conservation agriculture systems
•N
o p
loughin
g, dis
kin
g o
r so
il c
ultiv
atio
n (i.e.
, no turn
ing
over
of th
e so
il)
•Cro
p a
nd c
over
cro
p res
idues
sta
y o
n the
surfac
e
•N
o b
urn
ing o
f cr
op res
idues
•Per
man
ent cr
op a
nd w
eed res
idue
mulc
h p
rote
cts th
e so
il
•The
close
d-n
utrie
nt re
cycl
ing o
f th
e fo
rest
is re
plica
ted
•Spec
ialize
d e
quip
men
t
•Continuous cr
opla
nd u
se
•Cro
p rota
tions an
d c
over
cro
ps to
max
imiz
e
bio
logic
al c
ontrols
(i.e.
, m
ore
pla
nt an
d c
rop d
iver
sity
)
Once
estab
lish
ed, CA
giv
es h
igher
yie
lds an
d h
igher
outp
uts
than
conven
tional
agricu
lture
over
long p
erio
ds of tim
e
Kee
ps so
ils at
a p
roduct
ive
for an
exte
nded
per
iod o
f tim
e
Pro
ble
ms
wit
h C
A
•N
ot en
ough p
eople
that
can
turn
fro
m a
conven
tional
far
mer
to a
conse
rvat
ionis
t
•Y
ield
red
uct
ion
•Purc
has
ing o
f new
equip
men
t
•Pro
duci
ng e
nough food a
t th
is m
om
ent to
fee
d a
ll the
peo
ple
in the
world a
t th
is m
om
ent
Zer
o t
illa
ge
is a
“co
rner
ston
e”of
CA
Can
be
pra
ctic
ed in b
oth
lar
ge
and sm
all fa
rmin
g syst
ems.
Most
of th
e ag
ricu
ltura
l ben
efits of ze
ro tilla
ge
rela
te to
incr
ease
d o
rgan
ic m
atte
r in
the
soil
Min
imu
m m
ech
an
ica
l d
istu
rba
nce
of
the
soil
Conse
rvat
ion tilla
ge
> 3
0%
surfac
e re
sidue
Red
uce
d tilla
ge
> 1
5-3
0%
surfac
e re
sidue
Soil
til
lage,
part
icu
larl
y i
nver
sion
til
lage
dra
stic
ally
alter
s origin
al struct
ure
bre
aks up a
ggre
gat
es
buries
cro
p res
idues
bar
es/e
xpose
s so
il to the
elem
ents
reduce
s bio
div
ersity
incr
ease
s CO
2em
issi
ons
Eff
ect
of
till
ag
e o
n s
oil
org
an
ic c
arb
on
Roth
amst
ed --par
t of th
e w
orld's o
ldes
t ex
isting a
gro
nom
ic
exper
imen
t, sta
rted
in 1
843
Conver
ting g
rass
land to a
rable
lan
d c
ut th
e so
il c
arbon c
onte
nt
by 5
5 p
erce
nt over
20 y
ears
due
to tilla
ge
Evolu
tion
of
con
serv
ati
on
til
lage
1930s
Dust
bow
l phen
om
enon in U
S
WW
II
2,4
–D
, oth
er h
erbic
ides
1980s
No till eq
uip
men
t
2000s
Pay
men
ts for co
nse
rvat
ion
Country
1973/74
1983/84
1999/2000
U.S.A.
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Netherlands
Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka
Australia
New Zealand
Brazil
Argentina
Mexico
Paraguay
Uruguay+Chile+Bolivia
2 200 000 -
200 000
50 000
2 000
200 000
100 000
75 000
1 000 - - - -
4 800 000 -
275 000
50 000
5 000
250 000
400 000
75 000
400 000 - - - -
19 750 000
4 080 000 - - - -
8 640 000 -
13 470 000
9 250 000
650 000
800 000
350 000
Are
a u
nd
er n
o t
illa
ge
In the
US, co
nse
rvat
ion tilla
ge
incr
ease
d fro
m 1
% in 1
963
to 3
7%
in 1
998 a
nd is pro
ject
ed to e
xce
ed 5
0%
by 2
008
Ou
t of
95 m
ha o
f ze
ro t
ill
farm
lan
d i
n t
he
worl
d
47%
is in
South
Am
eric
a
39%
is in
North A
mer
ica
9%
is in
Aust
ralia
3.9
% is in
Euro
pe,
Asi
a an
d A
fric
a
Chester
Conrad E
Conrad W
Ft. Benton
St. Johns
Simpson
SOC (t ha-1)
10
15
20
25
30
35
NT
CT
a
b
a
a
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
Measured SOC (0 to 20-cm)
Tillage effect on soil organic carbon
Bricklemyer 2003
α= 0.1
0
0.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
19
74
19
87
19
90
19
97
20
00
SO
M %
Ch
an
ges
in
SO
M o
ver
tim
e in
un
der
a n
o t
ill
syst
em i
n I
llin
ois
Aver
age
ener
gy c
on
sum
pti
on
of
som
e ti
llage
op
erati
on
s
Pro
duce
rs c
an sav
e 30%
to 4
0%
of tim
e an
d lab
or by p
ract
icin
g the
no-till pro
cess
(FA
O 2
007)
Fuel
use
and tra
ctor hours
are
red
uce
d u
p to 7
5%
ZT
in
In
dia
ZT for w
hea
t star
ted 3
dec
ades
bac
k
Fai
led d
ue
to tec
hnic
al d
ifficu
ltie
s su
ch a
s la
ck o
f eq
uip
men
t
1990 C
IMM
YT introduce
d inver
ted T
open
ers
1991 F
irst
pro
toty
pe
of ZT see
d d
rill d
evel
oped
by G
BPU
AT
1992-9
3 R
WC took u
p Z
T, distrib
ute
d d
rills in
Har
yan
a
Bec
ame
popula
r in
Har
yan
a due
to c
ircu
mst
ance
s, support
2 m
ha
zero
till w
hea
t in
ric
e-w
hea
t co
nso
rtiu
m a
rea
-2004-0
5
RW
C e
stim
ates
a C
O2em
issi
on red
uct
ion o
f 91 k
g/h
a/yr from
ZT
7730
622
2205
Conven
tional
tillag
e
8350
707
2595
Min
imum
tillag
e w
ith c
rop
resi
due
Net
ret
urn
s
(Rs/
ha)
Toria
yie
ld
(kg/h
a)
Mai
ze
yie
ld
(kg/h
a)
Pra
ctic
e
MT w
ith C
R red
uce
d runoff b
y 1
1%
and
soil loss
by 2
1%
com
par
ed to c
onven
tional
tilla
ge
Con
serv
ati
on
agri
cult
ure
un
der
rain
fed
con
dit
ion
s at
Doon
vall
ey
Lo
ng
ter
m t
illa
ge
stu
die
s a
t C
RID
A (
eig
ht
yea
rs)
6.0
06.1
6M
inim
um
5.2
65.4
2Conven
tional
5 –
20
cm
0 –
5 c
m
Org
an
ic C
(g
/kg
)
Til
lag
e
277 k
g C
/ha/y
r
Glo
bal
conver
sion o
f al
l cr
opla
nd to c
onse
rvat
ion tilla
ge
can
seques
ter 25 G
t C o
ver
50 y
ears
CCX
pay
men
ts b
ased
on p
rem
ise
that
CT seq
ues
ters
0.3
t
C/h
a/yr
Wes
t an
d P
ost
(2002) an
alyse
d g
lobal
dat
abas
e of 67 long
term
exper
imen
ts a
nd found that
Chan
ge
from
conven
tional
to n
o till se
ques
ters
570 k
g C
/ha/
yr
The
seques
trat
ion rat
es p
eak in 5
-10 y
ears
and a
new
equilib
rium
C lev
el is re
ached
in 1
5-2
0 y
ears
Bak
er e
t al
(2007) ques
tion the
C seq
ues
trat
ion e
stim
ates
Per
ma
nen
t so
il c
over
Cro
p res
idues
Cover
cro
ps
Cover
cro
p
Any a
nnual
, bie
nnia
l or per
ennia
l cr
op g
row
n a
s a
mono c
ulture
or poly
culture
to fulfill se
ver
al o
bje
ctiv
es o
f su
stai
nab
le
agricu
lture
Cover crops
control erosion
reduce surface water pollution
add organic matter
improve soil structure and tilth
fix atmospheric nitrogen
recycle unused soil nitrogen
increase soil productivity
help control weeds
0.2
81.3
71.3
3Control
1.5
31.5
31.3
0Centrosema
2.1
11.5
71.2
0Psophocarpus
1.8
01.5
71.3
0Stizolobium
2.1
91.6
31.3
0Stylosanthes
1.5
21.5
01.2
7Pureria
2.6
01.7
01.3
0Cynodon
1.4
91.4
51.2
3Paspalum
2.4
11.5
71.2
1Brachiara
C s
eq r
ate
(t/h
a/y
r)
Aft
erB
efore
Cover
cro
p
So
il C
seq
ues
tra
tio
n w
ith
so
me
cov
er c
ro
ps
Eff
ect
of
po
st r
ain
y s
easo
n c
ov
er c
rop
on
so
il o
rga
nic
C
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
0-15
15-30
30-45
Soil depth (cm)
SOC (%)
No horsegram
Horsegram
0.3
4 t
C/h
a/y
r u
p t
o a
dep
th o
f 30 c
m
Rota
tions ca
n lea
d to seq
ues
tering o
f 0.0
1 -
0.0
3 P
g C
/yea
r in
the
mai
ze/s
oybea
n-g
row
ing reg
ion o
f th
e U
S
Effec
tiven
ess likel
y to b
e gre
ates
t w
her
e co
mbin
ed w
ith
conse
rvat
ion tilla
ge
pra
ctic
es.
Cro
p r
ota
tio
n
Rota
tions, e
spec
ially leg
um
e-bas
ed o
nes
, ar
e gen
eral
ly reg
arded
as
extrem
ely v
aluab
le for m
ainta
inin
g soil fer
tility
and h
ave
a ver
y
good p
ote
ntial
for se
ques
tering C
in
dry
land
system
s.
Wes
t an
d P
ost
(2002) glo
bal
dat
abas
e -67 long ter
m
exper
imen
ts
Incr
easing rota
tional
com
ple
xity seq
ues
ters
200 k
g C
/ha/
yr
Equilib
rium
is re
ached
in 5
0-6
0 y
ears
Res
toring w
etla
nds
Dra
inin
g w
etla
nd
Inte
gra
ted w
ater
shed
man
agem
ent
Lan
d u
se a
long p
over
ty lin
es a
nd
politica
l boundar
ies
Impro
ved
far
min
g system
s w
ith sev
eral
cro
p
rota
tions
Monocu
lture
Conver
sion o
f m
argin
al lan
ds to
nat
ure
conse
rvat
ion
Fen
ce-to-f
ence
cultiv
atio
n
Wat
er m
anag
emen
t/co
nse
rvat
ion, irrigat
ion,
wat
er tab
le m
anag
emen
t
No w
ater
control
Soil-s
ite
spec
ific
man
agem
ent
Reg
ula
r fe
rtiliz
er u
se
Gro
win
g c
over
cro
ps
Sum
mer
fal
low
Res
idue
retu
rn a
s m
ulc
h
Res
idue
rem
oval
or burn
ing
Conse
rvat
ion till or no-till
Plo
ugh till
Rec
om
men
ded
T
rad
itio
na
l p
ract
ices
Agri
cult
ura
l p
ract
ices
for
enh
an
cin
g p
rod
uct
ivit
y a
nd
incr
easi
ng t
he
am
ou
nt
of
carb
on
in
soil
s