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THERE HAVE BEEN SINCERE EFFORTS TO DEVELOP MORE SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION STATEGIES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS These efforts have been referred to by various names including
Conservation Tillage Sustainable Crop Management Technologies Resource Conserving Technologies
Resource Conserving Technologies (RCTs) is a Very Commonly Used in South Asia in Association with A Sustainable Production Systems
But Many Institutions/Organizations and People Today Use the Terms Conservation Agriculture or Conservation AgricultureBase Crop Management Technologies to Define or Describe Efforts to Improve Sustainability
Conservation Agriculture (CA) or CA-based Crop Management and Resource Conserving Technologies (RCTs)
Methods to apply nitrogen fertilizer efficiently into crop residues retained on the soil surface
Useful Conservation Agriculturebased Technologies are RCTs but not all RCTs are Compatible with Conservation Agriculture
Contrasting Systems to Seed Wheat after Rice With a Single Pass of an Implement in India
Rotovator Seeder Not CA-based Turbo-Happy Zero Till Seeder Yes it is CA-Based
Conservation Agriculture Is Not a Separate Scientific Discipline Requiring a Separate Department or Institute
Conservation Agriculture-based Crop Management Involves
A Set of Defined Principles that Can be Used by All Agronomists/Crop Managers to Better Insure the Development of Sustainable Crop Management Practices for Diverse Cropping Systems
There are Four Basic Principles that Provide the Foundation for the Development of Suitable Conservation Agriculture-based Crop Management Technologies
CA Principle One
Develop Seeding Systems that Allow Major Reductions in tillage Goal Determine the appropriate, minimal level of tillage for a defined cropping system with zero till seeding systems as a potential goal.
Reduced/Zero Tillage Requires the Development and Delivery of Appropriate CA-based Seeders
India Zero Till Drill Bangladesh Strip Till drill
CA Principle Two
Retention of adequate and rational levels of crop residues on the soil surface Ultimate Goal Retain adequate levels of crop residue on the soil surface to reduce soil erosion, improve soil parameters and enhance crop/water productivity
Effect of Tillage with No Residue Retention on Soil Erosion Caused by Water Runoff
Tillage/No Surface Residues Soil Erosion by Runoff Water
Planting Zero Till Rainfed Wheat after Maize with Full Residue Retention Rainfed Area in the Central Highlands of Mexico (900mm/year)
Maize Residue Management Zero Till Wheat Seeding in Maize Residue
Extensive tillage combined with inadequate crop residue retention on the soil surface can lead to extreme water loss by runoff and evaporation
Conventional Tilled Raised Beds with Residues Incorporated Perm. Raised Beds with Residue Retained on the Surface
Effect of tillage and residue retention on the soil surface for rainfed maize in the Central Highlands of Mexico (450 to 550mm rainfall)
Conv. Tillage, All Residues Removed Zero Till, All Residues Retained
Some Issues Related to Residue Retention Rainfed Maize in the Hills of Ningxia
CA- Zero Till with Full Residue Retention CA- Combining Zero Till and Plastic Mulch
CA Principle Three
Use of suitable and profitable crop rotations
Ultimate Goal Economically viable, diversified crop rotations that can offer farmers new options to reduce risk
CA Emphasizes Diversified and Economical Crop Rotation Options for Rainfed Conditions
Rainfed Zero Till Wheat
CA Emphasizes Diversified and Economical Crop Rotation Options for Irrigated Conditions
Irrigated Soybean on Perm. Beds Irrigated Canola on Perm. Beds
Effect of Rotation on Wheat Yields (averaged over three years) for Wheat Produced with Furrow Irrigated Permanent Raised Beds the Yaqui Valley, Sonora in Northwest Mexico 8100
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
Wheat-Maize: Wheat-FallowWheat-MaizePerm Beds; All Maize-Sorghum; Chickpea-Maize; Residue Perm Beds; All Perm Beds; All Retained Residue Residue Retained Retained
These First Three CA Principles when Properly Used Enhance Sustainable Soil Management
Chemical Soil Quality
Comparison of Soils Conventional Tilled Versus CA-Based Zero Tilled after 7 Years
Conv. Till - Residues Removed = Sad, Degraded Soil CA-based Zero Till -Residues Retained = Happy, Healthy Soil
CA Principle Four
Farmers must perceive the potential for imminent, improved economic benefits from the Adoption of CAbased crop management technologies
Comparisons of Rainfed Wheat Yields and Economic Benefits of CA-based Crop Management versus the Common, Conventional Farmer Practice in the Central Highlands of Mexico (550mm Rainfall)
Comparison of average rainfed wheat yields for the most common farmer practice versus the best CA-based practice (1996 to 2005)
6500 6000
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
Comparison average economic returns for rainfed wheat for the most common farmer practice versus the best CA-based practice
Returns Above Variable Costs
Farmer PracticeContinuous Wheat, Convention al Till, Residues Improved Practice; MaizeWheat; Zero Till; Residues Retained
from 1996 to 2005 (Mexican Pesos) 3,500 Farmer Practice3,000 Continuous Wheat, 2,500 Conventional 2,000 Till, Residues Removed 1,500 1,000 500 (500) Improved Practice; Maize-Wheat; Zero Till; Residues Retained
Based on our knowledge about widespread soil degradation, it is difficult to understand why all agronomists do not base their crop management efforts on the Principles of Conservation Agriculture
Continuing to focus mainly on finetuning existing conventional, tillagebased crop production systems will likely only lead to small increments in crop productivity with continuing attrition of the natural resource base
The Basic principles of Conservation Agriculture Provide the Foundation to Manage Different Production Systems in a Sustainable Way But these underlying CA principles are not site specific and can be applied to essentially all crop production systems with the development of specific crop management practices for each specific system
Development of Appropriate Crop Management Technologies Based on the Foundation of the Four Basic Principles of Conservation Agriculture
Appropriate Crop Residue Management Assessment of Relevant SocioEconomic Factors Appropriate Pest and Disease Management Appropriate Seeders/other Implements Appropriate Weed Control Practices
The Foundation for the Development of Appropriate Crop Production Systems Based on the Principles of Conservation Agriculture
The principles that support CAbased crop management are not site specific and can be applied to essentially all crop production systems by identifying the requisite component technologies of crop management needed for each cropping system
Estimated Area under CA-based zero-till seeding systems in different countries in 2005
Country USA Brazil Argentina Canada Australia Rest of the South America Indo-GangeticPlains Europe Africa ha 25.304.000 23.600.000 18.269.000 12.522.000 9.000.000 3.035.000 2.800.000 (mainly India) 450.000 400.000
China
Other Countries (rough estimate) Total
500.000
1.000.000 96.880.000
Characteristics of Most Farmers Who Have Adopted CA-based Crop Management Technologies
CA has been adopted mainly in large commercial farms using heavy tractors and large-scale machinery/seeders More than 96% of the area involves non-irrigated, rainfed farming with minimal CA adoption for irrigated crop production systems
Minimal adoption of CA in developing countries particularly by small and medium-scale farmers
Common Scale for Conservation Agriculture in the Australia, USA, Canada and South America
Simultaneous Harvesting of Triticale, Baling Part of the Straw, and Removing Bales of Straw in Hidalgo, Mexico
Three Main Constraints to the Adoption of Conservation Agriculturebased Crop Management by Farmers in Developing Countries: First Constraint - Lack of appropriate seeders, especially for small and medium-scale farmers
Testing the New Chinese Strip Till Drill for 2-Wheel Tractors in Mexico
Second Constraint Ability to Retain Adequate Crop Residues on the Soil Surf Surface Due to Competing Residue Uses
The widespread use of crop residues by many farmers for fodder/pasture associated with integrated crop/livestock systems. The use of crop residues for fuel, paper (potentially biofuels) The burning of crop residues
The widespread integration of crop/livestock by many farmers in developing countries creates multiple demands for crop residues
Use of residues for pasture Use of residues for fodder
Solution For low crop residue situations, balance the retention of some residue for the soil with the the rest used for livestock feed/fuel etc
Partial Retention versus Full Retention
Solution For High Residue Production Situations Find Alternative, Economic Uses for Residues and/or Develop CA-based Seeders for High Levels of Crop Residues But Crop Residue Burning Must not be an Option
Effect of Rotation, Tillage and Residue Management of Average Rainfed Maize Yields from 1997 to 2009 at El Batan in the Central Highlands of Mexico (Mean Annual Rainfall = 550 mm)
7000
LSD (0.05) = 239 kg/ha
6000
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
Effect of Rotation, Tillage and Residue Management on Average Rainfed Wheat Grain Yields from 1997 to 2009 at El Batan in the Central Highlands of Mexico (Mean Annual Rainfall = 550mm)
6500
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
Wh-Wh - Conv Wh-Wh - Zero Wh-Wh - Zero Wh-Mz - Zero Wh-Mz - Zero Wh-Mz - Zero Till - All Till - All Till - All Till - All Till - 50% of Till - All Residues Residues Residues Residues Residues Residues Removed Removed Retained Retained Retained Removed (Farmer Practice)
Effect of tillage/crop residue management on grain yield of irrigated wheat over fourteen years (from 1993 to 2006) at CIANO, Cd. Obregon
7200 7000
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
Third Constraint Need to Change Mind Set of Farmers, Scientists and Policy Makers
Most of crop management experiences and education are based on conventional tillage based production systems
Changing minds to accept crop management practices based on the principles of Conservation Agriculture is perhaps the biggest constraint Many times, farmers are more ready to change their mind set than scientists
Comparison on Conventional Puddled, Transplanted Rice vesus Direct Seeded, Unpuddled Rice in Bihar
INDIA
Maize on Permanent Beds after Rice
BANGLADESH-WHEAT ON BEDS
Thanks