AUTHOR=Ansari Meraj Alam , Ravisankar N. , Ansari Majhrool Hak , Babu Subhash , Layek Jayanta , Panwar A. S. 

TITLE=Integrating conservation agriculture with intensive crop diversification in the maize-based organic system: Impact on sustaining food and nutritional security

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1137247

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2023.1137247

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Developing an intensive sustainable model and feeding a rising population are worldwide challenges. The task is much more daunting in the North Eastern Himalayas, where, low productive maize (<italic>Zea mays</italic>)- fallow is the main production system in the upland. To increase farm productivity, nutritional security, and energy dietary returns while maintaining environmental sustainability and economic viability, short-duration crops must be included in the maize–fallow system.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A field study was conducted in sandy clay loam soil with a randomized complete block design with three replications for three continuous years (2018–2021) under organic management with two crop management practices, <italic>viz.</italic>, (i) conservation agriculture and (ii) conventional agriculture, and six crop diversification options, <italic>viz.</italic>, (i) maize–sweet corn (<italic>Zea mays saccharata</italic>)–vegetable pea (<italic>Pisum sativa</italic>) (M-SC-VP), (ii) maize–sweet corn-mustard (<italic>Brassica juncea</italic>) (M-SC-M), (iii) maize–sweet corn–lentil (<italic>Lens culinaris</italic>) (M-SC-L), (iv) maize–sweet corn–vegetable broad bean (<italic>Vicia faba</italic>) (M-SC-VB), (v) maize (local)–vegetable pea (M-VP), and (vi) maize (local)–fallow (M-F).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The results showed that, the average system productivity was 5.3% lower for conventional agriculture than conservation agriculture. System carbohydrate, protein, fat, dietary fiber, and dietary energy were ~6.9, 6.8, 7.8, 6.7, and 7%, higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional agriculture, respectively. Similarly, system macronutrients (Ca, Mg, P, and K) and system micronutrients yield (Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) were, 5.2–8% and 6.9–7.4% higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional agriculture, respectively. On average, over the years, crop diversification with M-SC-VP/M-SC-VB intensive crop rotation had higher system productivity (158%), production efficiency (157%), net returns (benefit–cost ratio) (44%), and dietary net energy returns (16.6%) than the local maize–vegetable pea system. Similarly, the M-SC-VP/M-SC-VB system improved the nutritional security by improving Ca, Mg, P, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu yield by 35.5–135.7% than the local M-VP system.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Conservation agriculture with M-SC-VP/M-SC-VB rotation showed significantly (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) higher productivity, carbohydrate yield, protein yield, fat yield, and dietary fiber production. It is concluded that conservation agriculture improved soil health and performed better than conventional agriculture in maize-based intensive cropping systems. Overall results indicate that crop diversification with M-SC-VP/M-SC-VB can potentially increase calorie and protein consumption and farm profitability.</p></sec>