Exploring the Environmental Footprints of Conservation Tillage Practices in the Semi-arid Region of India

AbstractThe need and practice of intensive farming, in the present context, for higher food production is having many negative impacts like increased soil erosion, soil physical degradation, decline in soil organic matter (SOM) content, reduction in soil biodiversity, lower nutrient and water use efficiency, increased groundwater pollution, declining ground water tables, increasing soil salinization and waterlogging, in-situ burning of crop residues causing air pollution and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions thereby leading to global warming. Hence, there is a need to develop sustainable management practices, which besides sustaining soil health and food security, enhance the carbon sequestration, reduce GHG emissions, and offer better ecosystem services. Conservation tillage practice results in multiple benefits like sustainable food production with conservation of natural resources and efficient use of natural resources and external inputs. Conservation agriculture (CA) in India is mostly focused in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) which is mostly under irrigated condition. But, some of the studies on conservation tillage practices in rainfed semi arid conditions in recent areas are encouraging. So, this review paper is focused to give an overview of the influence of conservation tillage practices on the environment along with resource conservation, use efficiency of inputs and yield sustainability.