Soil Quality Management through Carbon Farming under Intensive Agriculture Systems

摘要

Agricultural intensification and soil health deterioration occur concomitantly. Such deterioration of health is manifested through depletion in soil organic C, imbalances in available nutrients, breakdown of soil structure etc. along with a reduced crop production potential. Balanced fertilization following soil test results, integrated (with different organic sources) nutrient management, green manuring, selection of cropping systems with high leftover crop residues and adoption of conservation agriculture practices are some of the win-win strategies for up-keeping the soil health and sustaining biological yields under intensively managed farming systems. This is ensured mainly due to maintenance of a higher amount of organic C in soils under those management practices as evidenced from results of different studies made using long-term experiments conducted across various agro-climatic regions of the country.