Browsing by Author "Kirti Saurabh"

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Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization Dynamics: A Perspective in Rice-Wheat Cropping System
(Springer Singapore, 2019) Kirti Saurabh; Rakesh Kumar; J.S. Mishra; Hansraj Hans; Narendra Kumawat; Ram Swaroop Meena; K.K. Rao; Manoj Kumar; A.K. Dubey; M.L. Dotaniya
Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS), one of the prominent agricultural production systems, at an area of ~26 M ha is confined to the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGPs) in South Asia and China. Crop residues obtained from field crops are essential sources of nutrition and organic carbon (40% of total dry biomass constituted by C) for the next crops, and hence they not only increase the agricultural productivity but also are responsible for the better quality of soil, water, and air. Perhaps the most important challenge facing exhaustive RWCS in all regions of the world is effective management of post-harvest crop residues. Disposal of wheat residue is easy as it can be used to feed animals. However, due to the presence of high silica content, rice residue is usually burned. Residue burning is the main method of disposal in areas under combined harvesting in the IGPs of eastern India as it reduces cost. However, burning of crop residue (CR) is not eco-friendly as it results in fast degradation of soil organic matter and nutrients and increased CO2 emission creating intense air pollution as well as global warming. Therefore, exploitation of CR is a crucial element for a sustainable production system, and it has generated much interest in the recent years by reducing the consequence of residue burning and increasing the soil organic matter (SOM) and the nutrient-supplying capacity. CR retention infield can be considered a key element in promoting soil health with increased physical, chemical, and biological properties. In RWCS, residue management can be done by (1) wheat residue retention in rice and its residual effect in succeeding wheat crop, (2) rice straw retention in wheat and its residual impact in following rice, and (3) wheat straw retention in rice and rice straw. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020.
Conservation agriculture: Perspectives on soil and environmental management in indo-gangetic plains of South Asia
(Springer Singapore, 2019) Rakesh Kumar; Kirti Saurabh; Narendra Kumawat; J.S. Mishra; Hansraj Hans; Bal Krishna; Ram Swaroop Meena; Bal Krishna Jha; Pravin Kumar Upadhyay; K.K. Hazra
Bread and rice basket of South Asia is feeding ~20% of the global population. The agricultural production system in South Asia is predominated by exhaustive cereal production system including rice, wheat, and maize. Thus, it greatly affects the livelihood and nutritional security of the rural and urban poor. Recently, cereal productivity had slowed down or stagnated. Present expansion rate in terms of yield of rice and wheat is ~2-3 times higher than in 1966-1994. During 1980s, the peak of "Green Revolution" in the agricultural production system helps in the reduction of rural and urban poverty by making food more affordable. During the 1990s, growth in yields slows down because of technological stagnation resulting in high food prices. Slow growth in yields mainly inflated on wheat and rice by ~1%. Therefore, agriculture in South Asia is presently in front of a major challenge of resource fatigue and declining crop productivity. In addition to that, a huge gap exists in yields mainly due to yield gap management, ranging from 14-47, 18-70, and 36-77% in wheat, rice, and maize, respectively. Crop residues are considered a vital natural resource for protecting and sustaining soil and crop productivity. Application of crop residues is useful for maintaining or enhancing soil organic matter (SOM). This chapter presents the perspectives on soil and environment through principles of conservation agriculture (CA) for sustainable cereal production system in Indo-Gangetic belts of South Asia. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019.
Designing an ecofriendly and carbon-cum-energy efficient production system for the diverse agroecosystem of South Asia
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Rakesh Kumar; J.S. Mishra; Surajit Mondal; Ram Swaroop Meena; P.K. Sundaram; B.P. Bhatt; R.S. Pan; Rattan Lal; Kirti Saurabh; Naresh Chandra; S.K. Samal; Hansraj Hans; R.K. Raman
There is an urgent need for identification of the eco-friendly/cleaner production system that is more productive and profitable; efficient user of energy, water, and carbon-based inputs, and also environmentally safer. The four years study was conducted from 2016 to 2019, where the dominant rice-wheat cropping system is practiced extensively after ‘Green Revolution’. The objectives of the experiment were to evaluate: (1) energy budgeting, (2) carbon auditing, (3) production and economic efficiency of diverse cropping systems for upland rainfed as well as irrigated ecosystems of eastern India. Tillage and cropping system treatments were laid out according to a completely randomized block design and replicated thrice. Ten cropping sequences were comprised of: T1) a farmers’ practice of transplanted rice-wheat-mungbean, T2) conventional till-direct seeded rice (CTDSR)-wheat-mungbean, T3) soybean-maize, T4) CTDSR-mustard-urdbean, T5) foxtail millet-lentil-fallow, T6) pearl millet-chickpea-fallow, T7) finger millet-toria-fallow, T8) sorghum (grain)-chickpea-fallow, T9) maize cob–pigeon pea, and T10) sorghum (fodder)-mustard-urdbean. Energy contributions of different inputs were 42–55, 12–21, 8–18, and 4–12% for fertilizers, diesel, labour, and electricity, respectively. The amount of indirect (fertilizer, chemicals, and machinery) and direct (diesel and electricity) non-renewable energy inputs were 40–60 and 18–26%, respectively. Indirect renewable energy input (seed and crop residues) was 1–7% as compared to 15–24% of direct-renewable energy (human labour and irrigation water). The maximum energy input was recorded for T1 (53511 MJ ha−1). The maximum biomass production (40.2 Mg ha−1) was recorded with T9, while the maximum benefit: cost ratio (3.64) was noted for T10 and T8. The highest specific energy (33.5 MJ kg−1) and energy productivity (0.92 kg MJ−1) were recorded in T8 treatment. Irrespective of cropping systems, retention of crop residues accounted for 28.6–58.5% of total carbon input. The carbon sustainability index was 5–7 times higher for the millet-based production system [T6 (9.32) and T8 (10.27)] compared to cereal-based systems [T1 (1.66) and T2 (1.21)]. Diversification of the rice-wheat system through climate-resilient millets-based production system reduced 84% energy consumption and 87% carbon footprint. The millet-based production system also helps in reducing the carbon input by 172% and improves the energy use efficiency by 61% compared to the cereal-based cropping system. Therefore, the study has an innovative idea to support the crop modelling, policymakers, government planners, researchers, and producers to achieve the sustainable development goals in Indo-Gangetic Plains and similar agro-climatic conditions of South Asia. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Rakesh Pradeep Kumar; Anup Das; S. K. Mondal; Pravin Kumar Upadhyay; Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt; Janki Sharan Mishra; Anil Kumar Singh; Jaipal Singh Choudhary; Sanjeev Kumar; Prem Kumar Sundaram; Ashish Kumar Biswas; Sanjay Singh Rathore; Rajiv Kumar Singh; Puspa Parameswari; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Santosh Muthu Suresh Kumar; Akram Ahmad; Kirti Saurabh; Kumari Shubha; Ajay Vinod Kumar; Manibhushan; Pawan Jeet; Ved Prakash; Bal Krishna Jha; Sushant Kumar Naik; S. S. Mali; Surendra Kumar Ahirwal; Vinod Kumar Singh; Devendra Mandal; Manoj Kumar Roy; Arbind K. Choudhary; Sudhir Kumar S. Rajpoot; Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
Rice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has approximately 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land, with India contributing the largest share (88.3%). Eastern Indian states, which account for 82% of India’s rice-fallow area, presents significant opportunities for cropping intensification. However, several constraints—such as biotic (pest and disease), abiotic stresses (temperature extremes, drought, etc.), rapid soil moisture depletion, and disturbances from free-grazing livestock-hinder efforts to cultivate a second crop, perpetuating poverty among the small and marginal farmers. Introducing stress-tolerant rabi crops, particularly pulses (chickpea, lentil, lathyrus, field pea) and oilseeds (mustard, toria, safflower, linseed), offers a promising solution to enhance system productivity and improve the farmers’ livelihoods. Policymakers have recently increased the public investment in rice-fallows intensification, yet fragmented and ad-hoc initiatives often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes due to complex and multidimensional challenges involved. This study critically examines the key issues affecting rice-fallow lands and provides strategic recommendations to convert these underutilized areas into the productive cropping systems during winter and spring. Additionally, it reviews Central and State Government programs related to rice-fallow management, emphasizing the need for research to align with ongoing policy initiatives for maximum impact. The findings of this study offers a valuable insights for the policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, highlighting the potential of pulses and oilseeds to enhance the food security, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural production systems in the region. © © 2025 Kumar, Das, Mondal, Upadhyay, Bhatt, Mishra, Singh, Choudhary, Kumar, Sundaram, Biswas, Rathore, Singh, Parameswari, Singh, Kumar, Ahmad, Saurabh, Shubha, Kumar, Manibhushan, Jeet, Prakash, Jha, Naik, Mali, Kumar, Ahirwal, Singh, Mandal, Roy, Choudhary, Rajpoot and Chaudhari.
Sustainable Intensification of Rice Fallows with Oilseeds and Pulses: Effects on Soil Aggregation, Organic Carbon Dynamics, and Crop Productivity in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains
(MDPI, 2022) Kirti Saurabh; Rakesh Kumar; Janki Sharan Mishra; Anil Kumar Singh; Surajit Mondal; Ram Swaroop Meena; Jaipal Singh Choudhary; Ashis Kumar Biswas; Manoj Kumar; Himadri Shekhar Roy; Nongmaithem Raju Singh; Sushil Kumar Yadav; Ashutosh Upadhyaya; Hansraj Hans; Pawan Jeet; Prem Kumar Sundaram; Rohan Kumar Raman
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are becoming increasingly important due to their better adaptability to harsh climatic conditions (in general) and the unpredictability of monsoons in India (in particular). Conventional rice cultivation (e.g., PTR) involves intensive tilling followed by intensive puddling in standing water that destroys the soil aggregation and depletes carbon pools. Therefore, alternative crop establishment methods need to be devised for the sustainability of system productivity, and the suitabilities of potential oilseeds and pulses need to be tested for cropping intensification in rice-fallow regions. Hence, an ongoing experiment (implemented in 2016) was evaluated to identify the appropriate CSA management practices in restoring soil C and physical health under diversified cropping systems in the rice-fallow system of eastern India. Six tillage and crop establishment methods along with residue management were kept as the main plots [zero-till-direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR), conventional-till-DSR (CT-DSR), puddled transplanted rice (PTR), ZTDSR with rice residue retentions (ZTDSRR+), CTDSR with rice residue retention (CTDSRR+), PTR with rice residue retention (PTRR+)] while five winter/post-rainy crops (oilseeds and pulses) were raised in a subplot. In the ZTDSRR+ production system, soil macro-aggregate (%), macro-aggregate-associated C, MWD, and GMD of aggregates increased by 60.1, 71.3, 42.1, and 17.1%, respectively, in comparison to conventional tillage practices (PTR). The carbon management index (CMI) was 58% more in the ZTDSRR+ production system compared to PTR. Among the winter crops, chickpeas recorded higher values of soil structural indices and C content. In the PTR production system, system productivity, in terms of rice equivalent yield, was comparable to ZTDSRR+. ZT with residue retention in rice followed by post-rainy/winter pulses led to higher C content and structural stability of the soil. Thus, CSA management practices can improve the crop productivity as well as soil health of rice-fallow production systems of eastern India and comparable agroecotypes of South Asia. © 2022 by the authors.