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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agroecology and Ecosystem Services
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1476292

Conservation Agriculture Enhances Crop Productivity and Soil Carbon Fractions in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Provisionally accepted
Ajay K. Mishra Ajay K. Mishra 1*Hitoshi Shinjo Hitoshi Shinjo 2Hanuman S. Jat Hanuman S. Jat 3Mangi L. Jat Mangi L. Jat 4Raj Kumar Jat Raj Kumar Jat 5Shinya Funakawa Shinya Funakawa 2
  • 1 International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • 2 Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Kyōto, Japan
  • 3 The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India
  • 4 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India
  • 5 Borlaug Institute of South Asia (BISA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Pusa, Bihar 848125, India, Patna, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study evaluates the impact of conservation agriculture (CA) on soil carbon sequestration and crop productivity in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, focusing on short-term effects over three and five years. Conducted at two distinct sites, Karnal and Samastipur, the research compares zero tillage, permanent raised beds, and conventional tillage systems across diverse cropping patterns. Initial findings after three years showed no significant differences in carbon and nitrogen stocks at Karnal, while Samastipur's maize-mustard-mungbean rotation on permanent raised beds showed increased carbon stocks. Notably, after five years, significant differences in soil carbon stocks emerged at both sites, with improved organic matter input indicated by coarse particulate organic matter (cPOM) formation. The study confirms the potential of POXC and POC as early indicators for carbon sequestration in CA systems, highlighting the role of CA practices in enhancing soil health and crop productivity sustainably.

    Keywords: Crop residue recycling, Particulate Organic Matter, physical fractionation, Permanent raised bed, resource conservation practices, System productivity

    Received: 05 Aug 2024; Accepted: 30 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mishra, Shinjo, Jat, Jat, Kumar Jat and Funakawa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ajay K. Mishra, International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.