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Illustration of salt development mechanisms in soil and control of climate driven factors for salinity development
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Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) constitutes about 13% of the total geographical area of the India, and it produces about 50% of the total food grains. Salt infestation in soils is rampant which poses threat to productivity of agricultural lands, and change in climate could play vital role in further aggravating the problem. Many agricultural practices ca...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... change has potential effects on evapotranspiration (ET) due to its effects on air temperature, wind speed, cloudiness and atmospheric turbidity affecting the radiations. Increased ET and longer growing seasons would increase the demand for irrigation requirements globally up to 5-20% or more by the 2070s or 2080s (Fisher et al., 2006). Climatic factors like temperature, rain, wind and humidity affect the seasonal shift in water balance by influence on evaporation and transpiration. ...
Context 2
... affected soils are rich in salts in soil solution as well as exchange complex. They can have several ways of interaction with climate change effects (Fig. 2). Climate change is causing increase in soil salinization/sodicity problem. Dregne et al. (1991), reported that in 11 countries, about 29.6 Mha area, out of total 158.7 Mha irrigated area, is affected with high salt content. Increasing salinization of natural resources like soil, land and water is now regarded as serious environmental ...
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For two decades Università del Caffè Brazil/PENSA has conducted state-of-the-art studies of topics relevant to coffee growing. In order to celebrate, the research model carried out in 2020 was different. We invited recognized scholars to produce four positions papers about the big theme “The agriculture and the carbon balance”.
The research report...
Citations
... This requires ecological, social, or economic adjustments in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts. A combination of salt-related problems and changes in climatic trends has doubled the challenges for sustainable agriculture in sodic villages (Bhardwaj et al., 2016). Apart from losses caused by variable climatic conditions, it also affects farmers' decisionmaking ability due to a lack of awareness and knowledge. ...
... The cause-effect relationship of the degradation provides an important insight into the formulation of remedial measures by using soils' CaCO3 status, geogenic Ca-zeolites and gypsum. Bhardwaj et al. (2016) proposed a framework for adaptation of climate change effects in salt-affected areas under agriculture in the IGP by considering GHG emission, soil carbon balance, water use and landscape water balance, water and salt fluxes and water quality. The prevailing aridic environment causes adverse changes in physical and chemical properties of soils that may reduce both soil and crop productivity. ...
Current widespread and intensive soil degradation in India has been driven by unprecedented levels of population growth, large‐scale industrialization, high‐yield agriculture, urban sprawl and the spread of human infrastructure. The damage caused to managed and natural systems by soil degradation threatens livelihoods and local services and leads to national socio‐economic disruption. Human‐induced soil degradation results from land clearing and deforestation, inappropriate agricultural practices, improper management of industrial effluents and wastes, careless management of forests, surface mining, urban sprawl, and ill‐planned commercial and industrial development. Of these, inappropriate agricultural practices, including excessive tillage and use of heavy machinery, over‐grazing, excessive and unbalanced use of inorganic fertilizers, poor irrigation and water management techniques, pesticide overuse, inadequate crop residue and/or organic carbon inputs, and poor crop cycle planning, account for nearly 40% (121 Mha) of land degradation across India. Globally, human activities related to agriculture contribute to the transgression of four of the nine Planetary Boundaries proposed by Rockström et al. (2009): Climate Change, Biodiversity Integrity, Land‐system Change, and altered Phosphorus and Nitrogen Biogeochemical Flows. This review focuses on how knowledge of soil processes in agriculture has developed in India over the past 10 years, and the potential of soil science to meet the objectives of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger (End hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), using the context of the four most relevant Planetary Boundaries as a framework. Solutions to mitigate soil degradation and improve soil health in different regions using conservation agricultural approaches have been proposed. Thus, in this review we (1) summarize the outputs of recent innovative research in India that has explored the impacts of soil degradation on four Planetary Boundaries (Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Land‐system Change, and altered Biogeochemical Flows of Phosphorus and Nitrogen) and vice‐versa; and (2) identify the knowledge gaps that require urgent attention to inform developing soil science research agendas in India, to advise policy makers, and to support those whose livelihoods rely on the land.
... Hence, use of slow release fertilizers viz. polymer coated fertilizers (PCU) will serve the purpose by improving N use efficiency and land productivities (Shoji et al., 2001), thereby reducing nutrient losses (Shaviv and Mikkelsen, 1993;Blackshaw et al., 2011), and will produce significant economic and environmental benefits for worldwide agriculture (Bhardwaj et al., 2016). Concurrently improving land productivity alongwith NUE wheat might be challenging when more and more food is to be produced from the ever shrinking resources viz. ...
Field experiments were conducted using wheat cultivar HD-2967 during Rabi 2016-17 for evaluating efficiency of polycoated urea (PCU) (42% N) viz. neem coated urea (NCU) (46% N) under semi-arid tropical conditions in Tarn Taran district of Punjab, India. Treatments comprised of T1 100% N through NCU (3-Splits), T2 100% N through PCU (3-Splits), T3 100% N through PCU (1-Split), T4 75% N through PCU (1-Split). Results revealed that T3 treatment had highest grain as well as straw yields followed by T1, T2 and T4 (for grain yields) while T4, T1 and T2 (for straw yields) though in a non-significant mode. Crop biomass reported to be significantly higher in T3 in January while become at par during February and March, 2017. Among yield attributes viz. spike length, grains spike-1 and 1000 grain weight reported to be highest in T3 while tillers reported to be highest in the T2 treatment. Nitrogen concentration (%) in plant biomass reported to be highest in T3 followed by T1, T4 and T2, respectively. Among, nutrient efficiency parameters viz. agronomic efficiency (kg N ha-1) and physiological efficiency (kg N ha-1) T3 (100% PCU (1 splits) reported to have highest values than T1 and T2, where as recovery efficiency (%) found to be highest in T4 followed by T3, T2 and T1, respectively. Hence, being a slow release fertilizer 100% PCU (42% N) (1-Split) will serve the purpose for sustainable wheat production in semi-arid tropics.
... As far as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are concerned, agriculture contributes to about 12% of all anthropogenic emissions. Different cropping systems have different magnitudes of GHG emissions and different GHGs have different greenhouse warming potential (Bhardwaj et al., 2016;Singh and Sharma, 2019). Introduction of legumes in cropping system reduces the reliance on non-renewable energy sources and has a major role in GHG emission mitigation (Aurich et al., 2006). ...
... Small changes in growing season temperature over the years appear to be the key aspect of weather affecting yearly wheat yield fluctuations (Mall et al., 2000). Decline in potential yield of wheat and rice is linked to negative trend in solar radiation and an increase in minimum temperature in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India (Pathak et al., 2003;Bhardwaj et al., 2016). ...
... Growing of these fodder species in combination with Prosopis juliflora and Acacia nilotica for a certain period of time improved the soil health to such an extent that less tolerant but more palatable fodder species such as berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) and senji (Melilotus parviflora) could be grown. As the alkali soils are poor in organic carbon (OC), the rates of organic carbon and nitrogen (N) accumulation tends to be greatest in initial years of plantation (Luken and Fonda 1983;Bhardwaj et al. 2016). Therefore, the present study was initiated in 1995 with the twin objectives of sustainable use of alkali soils for fuelfodder production and their amelioration. ...
A field study was conducted to find out the suitable agro-forestry systems for a highly alkali soil and their
effect on improving the soil properties at Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Research
Station, Lucknow. The soil was poor in organic carbon (OC 0.08%) and available nitrogen (94 kg N ha-1)
but high in available phosphorus (25 kg P2O5 ha-1) and potassium (237 kg K2O ha-1). The treatments
included T1: Kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca) for 4 years followed by Gutton panic (Panicum maximum)
grass (without amendments); T2: Vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora) as sole tree crop; T3: Desi babul
(Acacia nilotica) as sole tree crop; T4: Vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora) + Kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca)
for 4 years followed by berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) for 3 years (without amendments) and T5: Desi
babul (Acacia nilotica) + Kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca) for 4 years followed by Rhodes grass (Chloris
gayana) for 3 years. After 84 months of planting, all the growth parameters including survival per cent,
plant height, diameter at breast height (DBH), diameter at stump height (DSH) and lopped biomass of
Prosopis juliflora and Acacia nilotica grown in combination with inter crops of grasses were higher as
compared to the sole plantation. Plant height was recorded to be 20 and 14% higher in Prosopis juliflora
and Acacia nilotica, respectively grown in combination with grasses than the sole plantation of these
species. The pH of the surface soil (0-15 cm) with Prosopis juliflora in combination with kallar grass
(Leptochloa fusca) for 4 years followed by berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) for 3 years silvipastoral
system has reduced to the level of 8.87. However, pH was > 9.0 in case of the remaining treatments.
Vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora) + berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) silvipastoral system gave highest
net return (Rs. 15,155 ha-1 yr-1) followed by gutton panic (Panicum maximum) as sole crop (Rs. 7,660 ha-1
yr-1) than the sole plantation of Prosopis juliflora (Rs. 5,610 ha-1 yr-1) and Acacia nilotica (Rs. 3,260 ha-1 yr-1),
and appeared to be the most suitable and economically viable alternate land use system for alkali soils.
... The carbon stored in soil of an ecosystem is controlled by the quality and quantity of biomass added and its loss through decomposition. The rate of C accumulation or loss from soil is determined by the quantity of recyclable biomass-C, temperature, rainfall, soil moisture content and management induced disturbances (Delon et al., 2015;Mills et al., 2014;Bhardwaj et al., 2016). The carbon content is generally higher in the surface layer than deeper sub-surface layers as much of the plant and animal dead material reach the surface directly. ...
A study was undertaken to assess the soil carbon stocks in 0-50 cm soil depth, under natural and
man-made land use systems in the eastern dry zones of Karnataka in India. The carbon (C) stocks
in soils ranged from 26.46 t ha-1 in dry land agricultural systems (without manure) to 89.20 t ha-1 in
a mixed forest. Among natural systems, mixed forest (89.20 t ha-1) and ungrazed grassland (71.78 t
ha-1) recorded higher levels of C stock than other systems, while grazing in grassland and litter
removal in teak plantations correlated to reduced carbon stocks to 39.32 and 32.74 t ha-1, respectively.
Intensively managed horticultural systems namely, grapes plantation (85.52 t ha-1) and pomegranate
plantation (78.78 t ha-1) maintained higher levels of C stock. However, agricultural systems recorded
moderate to lower levels. Total carbon stocks in top 0-50 cm soils of agricultural systems was in the
order: irrigated lands with manure application (52.77 t ha-1) > irrigated lands without manure
application (44.47 t ha-1) > dry lands with manure application (37.79 t ha-1) > dry lands without
manure application (26.46 t ha-1). It was observed that adoption of appropriate soil and crop
management practices such as conservation tillage, good irrigation, incorporation of crop residues
and application of manure etc. could enhance soil C pool by reducing existing carbon loss and
promoting C accumulation in the soil.
This dissertation explores the integration of hydrological modeling, the effects of sea level rise, and socioeconomic factors influencing watershed management in North Carolina, primarily utilizing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+) with four independent publication chapters. The first chapter assesses the effectiveness of various satellite precipitation products and autocalibration techniques on river flow prediction, highlighting the superior performance of the Global Precipitation Measurement Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals (GPM IMERG) dataset when combined with the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) technique. The second study investigates the effects of sea level rise on nitrate dynamics within the Tar-Pamlico coastal watershed, with adjustments made to SWAT+ parameters to simulate changes in nitrogen processes and their impacts on ecosystem health. This reveals increased nitrate loads under sea level rise scenarios. The third chapter merges econometric and engineering frameworks to evaluate the efficacy of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) as influenced by farmers' behavioral responses. It reveals that despite potential incentives, significant reductions in nitrate loading are not achieved, underscoring the limitations of current models and the importance of comprehensive socio-hydrological frameworks. Collectively, this dissertation enhances our understanding of hydrological processes and their interactions with environmental changes and human factors, offering crucial insights for effective watershed management and policy development.
