Browsing by Author "Suresh Kumar Chaudhari"

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Earthworm Population and Diversity Enhanced Under Conservation Management Practices in Intensified Rice-Fallow System of South Asia
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2025) Rakesh Pradeep Kumar; Jaipal Singh Choudhary; S. K. Mondal; Janki Sharan Mishra; Govind Makarana; Sushanta Kumar Naik; S. S. Mali; Bal Krishna Jha; Ram Swaroop Meena; Ashish Kumar Biswas; Kumari Shubha; Ved Prakash; Anup Das; Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt; Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
The study was conducted in eastern India's rainfed lowland rice-fallow ecosystems. It aimed to assess the impact of different crop establishment methods on system productivity, earthworm activity and diversity, and soil quality parameters for long-term sustainability. Three distinct crop establishment methods viz. zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR), conventional-till direct-seeded rice (CTDSR), and transplanted puddle rice (TPR), were employed in conjunction with various crop residue management strategies. The TPR and conventional tillage methods consistently outperformed ZTDSR in terms of grain yield and recorded a 28.9% and 15.4% higher grain yield than ZTDSR and CTDSR, respectively. However, TPR had a detrimental impact on the performance of all winter crops, resulting in a lower grain yield by 29% and 44% than CTDSR and ZTDSR, respectively. The incorporation of a legume or oilseed during the fallow period in the winter season in a rice-fallow system resulted in an increase in system productivity from 5.44 to 9.54 Mg ha−1 (75% increase) demonstrating its potential to boost the food security of the region. Importantly, the study also quantified the critical role of conservation agriculture (CA) practices in enhancing soil health and earthworm activity. The CA-based production systems (CTDSR and ZTDSR) noted a 35.6%, 27.3%, 91.9%, and 73.4% higher earthworm casting, burrows count, total earthworm count, and biomass, respectively, over the TPR system. The TPR production system was associated with increased parameters of soil cracking, including length, width, depth, and volume compared to CA-based management systems. In conclusion, adopting CA-based practices and integrating short-duration pulses and legumes can enhance crop productivity, soil health, and earthworm populations, supporting food and nutritional security in India's rice-fallow regions and similar South Asian agro-ecotypes. © 2025 John Wiley & Sons 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.
Land and water conservation technologies for building carbon positive villages in India
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2022) Cherukumalli Srinivasarao; Venkata Naga Satya Prasad Jasti; Venkateswara Rao Kondru; Vibhajam Sagal Kiran Bathineni; Ranjith Mudigiri; Girija Veni Venati; Priya Priyadarshini; Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash; Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
Continuous and unabated land degradation in India is a threat to agricultural sustainability while increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and precipitation intensification are going to further aggravate degradation in future. The timely adoption of integrated land and water conservation technologies minimises erosion and provides significant adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. The objectives of this study were to assess the mitigation potential of soil and water conservation technologies and also the feasibility of making villages carbon positive. The extent of minimisation of soil loss due to soil conservation technologies ranges from 0.10 to 21.65 Mg ha−1 yr−1, while carbon emissions minimised range from 0.73 to 158.77 kg ha−1 yr−1. Emission minimisation from various water management technologies in rice ranges from 73.0 to 507.9 kg CO2 equivalents ha−1 yr−1. Agroforestry practices can sequester 8.64 to 52.77 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 besides enhancing system productivity, arresting soil erosion and carbon loss through erosion. Integration of multiple technologies in a farming system further enhances the adaptation and mitigation benefits. Adoption of conservation technologies resulted in a net carbon balance of 0.05–1.23 CO2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 in 9 villages in India, indicating net positive carbon balance due to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Building carbon positive villages is a potential approach for preventing land degradation, while enhancing productivity, mitigating climate change and realising the sustainable development goals. Building capacities of communities and establishing institutions in villages are essential for upscaling and maintaining of soil and water conservation structures and community assets in the village. Furthermore, prioritisation and scaling of location specific land and water conservation technologies hold the key to establish carbon-positive villages. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.