Jagdish K. Ladha

University of California, Davis | UCD · Department of Plant Sciences

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is the transfer of CO2 from the atmosphere into soil organic matter. It, therefore, relies on photo- synthesis and plant-derived carbon (C) input, which usually occurs through biomass production. Janzen et al. (2022) reminded us that when calculating SOC sequestration potential, we should recognise the source...

The demand for nitrogen (N) for crop production increased rapidly from the middle of the twentieth century and is predicted to at least double by 2050 to satisfy the on-going improvements in productivity of major food crops such as wheat, rice and maize that underpin the staple diet of most of the world’s population. The increased demand will need...

Soils have recently received attention in the policy area due to their various connections to climate change, human health and their key role in sustaining human societies in general. In this context, agricultural production and healthy nutritious food are linked to soil health and the diversity of their (micro-)biome, which depend on organic carbo...

Nitrate (NO3) leaching from agriculture represents the primary source of groundwater contamination and freshwater ecosystem degradation. At the field level, NO3 leaching is highly variable due to interactions among soil, weather and crop management factors, but the relative effects of these drivers have not been quantified on a global scale. Using...

South Asia is a global hotspot for climate change with enormous pressure on land and water resources for feeding the burgeoning population . The agricultural production systems are highly vulnerable in the region and is primarily dominated by small and marginal farmers with intensive farming practices that had favored the loss of C from soil. This...

Significance Steady agronomic and genetic interventions helped sustain high annual rice production in an intensive irrigated monoculture system under a changing climate. However, the system did not achieve the increases in yield required to keep pace with the growing global demand for rice because annual yield potential was stagnant, and apparent b...

Nitrogen (N) is an essential but generally limiting nutrient for biological systems. Development of the Haber-Bosch industrial process for ammonia synthesis helped to relieve N limitation of agricultural production, fueling the Green Revolution and reducing hunger. However, the massive use of industrial N fertilizer has doubled the N moving through...

This book contains the complete detail of Rice seed production in the local language Hindi which can be easily adopted by the stakeholders

CA based sustainable intensification options showed positive effects on system productivity and net income along with significantly higher resource (labor, water, energy) use efficiency. Considering system performance parameters (yield, water use, energy use, and economics), maize-wheat-mungbean with CA based management practices (scenario 4) was f...

In the last six decades, the consumption of reactive nitrogen (Nr) in the form of fertilizer in India has been growing rapidly, whilst the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of cropping systems has been decreasing. These trends have led to increasing environmental losses of Nr, threatening the quality of air, soils, and fresh waters, and thereby endange...

The crucial link between agricultural growth and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations Development Programme is established through efficient use of nitrogen in the cereal production systems. Nitrogen, mostly in its reactive form as fertilizer or synthetic N, governs the food production, and reconciles the productivity...

Agriculture’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals requires climate-smart and profitable farm innovations. In the past decade, attention has been given to conservation agriculture as a ‘sustainable intensification’ strategy, although a lack of evidence-based consensus on the merits of conservation agriculture prevails in the context of...

Farmer profit can be increased and air quality improved

Response to “The “4p1000” initiative: A new name should be adopted” by Baveye and White (2019)

ycling from rice can greatly reduce water and labour input, eliminate residue burning, and potentially conserve natural resources. The objectives of this 2-year field study conducted at the Project Directorate for Cropping Systems research Modipuram, India in 2005 to 2007 were to determine the effects of tillage, crop establishment methods and resi...

Climate change adaptation, mitigation and food security may be addressed at the same time by enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration through environmentally sound land management practices. This is promoted by the ‘‘4 per 1000’’ Initiative, a multistakeholder platform aiming at increasing SOC storage through sustainable practices. The sci...

Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declining factor productivity and degrading soil resources. A farmer's participatory research trial was conducted in Karnal, India to evaluate 8 combinations of cropping systems, tillage, crop establishment method and residue management effects on key soil phy...

Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declining factor productivity and degrading soil resources. A farmer's participatory research trial was conducted in Karnal, India to evaluate 8 combinations of cropping systems, tillage, crop establishment method and residue management effects on key soil phy...

In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use...

The 4p1000 initiative aims to promote soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration as a means to mitigate climate change and to increase food security. The 4/1000 reference criteria’ are designed for the formative assessment of projects to meet the principles and goals of the Initiative as defined in the Paris Declaration and the UN Sustainable Developm...

Alternative tillage and rice establishment options should aim at less water and labor to produce similar or improved yields compared with traditional puddled-transplanted rice cultivation. The relative performance of these practices in terms of yield, water input, and economics varies across rice-growing regions. A global meta and mixed model analy...

Rice is the staple food for the millions of people in eastern India. However, the productivity of the rice-based system in this region is very low, mainly because of abiotic and biotic stresses, variable monsoons, poor agronomic management, and poor access to knowledge. In addition, farmers are affected by a rising scarcity of labor, climate change...

The Future Rice Strategy for India presents forward-looking insights toward achieving sustainable development of the rice sector, ensuring future food and nutritional security. As a staple food for many in India, including the economically disadvantaged, there are many concerns that affect the development of rice sector. Facing issues from environm...

Four cropping system were analysed on the basis of POXC. we used 3 concentration of , namely 0.01M, 0.02M and 0.033 M. Found that 0.02M solution represents best strength in ric ebased cropping system of aduthurai site

In Asia, direct-seeded rice (DSR) is becoming popular as an alternative to puddled transplanted rice (PTR) due to its potential to save scarce resources (labor, water, and energy), reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil physical properties, and increase yields in rotational crops. However, weed management in DSR is more difficult because the...

The weeds caused losses in inputs such as land, labor, monetary, nutrients, water and energy resources were reported to vary with the crop grown, amount and quality of inputs applied, geographic region, crop and weed management practices adopted. In major crops of India, improved weed management adoption was reported to cause reduced input use by w...

It is concluded that it is possible to increase the crop production and double the income of the rice farmers. Single approach is not applicable to all the farmers. It is essential to adopt farmer specific approach that suits to farmers’ available resources, economic conditions and associated environment. Integration of weed management with crops b...

Rice is grown in more than 100 countries spread across six continents and in varying agroecological and socioeconomic conditions. Rice production systems were classified over years differently depending on the context. In this chapter, the method of rice establishment is considered as criteria for classifying rice production systems across the glob...

Resource conservation technologies (RCTs) such as zero tillage (ZT), dry direct seeded rice (DSR) and crop residues as mulch are known to increase productivity and profitability of rice-wheat system (RWS) in South Asia. There are, however, few studies on assessing the effect of RCTs on physical and chemical properties of soil under RWS. A field exp...

Cropping systems in Cauvery Delta Zone of Tamil Nadu is intensive rice based with double or triple rice crops in a year. The rice system in the region is threatened by yield stagnation, scarcity of water and labour, increased costs of cultivation, and resource degradation. During 2009-2012, we evaluated four scenarios involving a range of best mana...

Cropping systems in Cauvery Delta Zone of Tamil Nadu is intensive rice based with double or triple rice crops in a year. The rice system in the region is threatened by yield stagnation, scarcity of water and labour, increased costs of cultivation, and resource degradation. During 2009-2012, we evaluated four scenarios involving a range of best mana...

Industrially produced N-fertilizer is essential to the production of cereals that supports current and projected human populations. We constructed a top-down global N budget for maize, rice, and wheat for a 50-year period (1961 to 2010). Cereals harvested a total of 1551 Tg of N, of which 48% was supplied through fertilizer-N and 4% came from net s...

Soils covering the earth surface are subdivided into many more than 10,500 soil types with relatively similar working carbon and nitrogen cycles, the largest, bio-, geo-, aqua- and atmosphere interconnecting greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, NH3, NO, N2O) flux drivers on earth. This contribution reviews the present knowledge about nitrogen cycling from its...

South Asian countries will have to double their food production by 2050 while using resources more efficiently and minimizing environmental problems. Transformative management approaches and technology solutions will be required in the major grain-producing areas that provide the basis for future food and nutrition security. This study was conducte...

In the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh, the cropping systems are predominantly rice based, having large yield gaps in farmers’ fields because of poor management practices adopted by farmers. The increasing scarcity of resources (water, labor and energy) and production costs further make the rice-based cropping system less sustainable and less...

Agriculture is a critical sector for Indian economy. Though agriculture's' contribution to the overall GDP of the country has fallen from about 30% in 1990-91 to <15% in 2011-12, agriculture yet forms the backbone of development.

Resumen El arroz es uno de los alimentos básicos de India, y Karnataka es uno de los estados con mayor producción de arroz. El método primario de establecimiento de arroz en Karnataka es el trasplante, pero los productores están optando por cambiar a la siembra directa del arroz. El manejo de malezas es crítico para alcanzar un rendimiento óptimo e...

Cereal production systems in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (E-IGP) are traditional, with low yield and low farm income, and they have largely missed out on the benefits of the Green Revolution. To enhance productivity, alleviate environmental and management constraints, and enhance farmers’ income in the rice–wheat cropping system of the E-IGP,...

In these current days of enormous challenges—including climate change, soil degradation, and resource scarcity—there is an urgent need for capacity building of the farming community to combat the menace caused by ever-adapting dynamic weeds. Enhancing farmers’ knowledge with timely, relevant, and accurate technological information from time to time...

Field experiment under dry direct seeded rice(O ryza sativa L.) was conducted during rainy season of 2010 and 2011 at Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS), Parwanipur, Bara to develop appropriate weed management practices for dry direct- seeded rice. The trial was laid-out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated thrice. Ob...

An experiment was carried out in Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) farm during 2010-11 to evaluate yield and resource use efficiency of transplanted boro rice under two tillage and three irrigation methods. Two tillage methods viz., conventional tillage with puddle transplanted rice and reduced tillage unpuddled transplanted rice an...

Rapid, precise, and globally comparable methods for monitoring greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes are required for accurate GHG inventories from different cropping systems and management practices. Manual gas sampling followed by gas chromatography (GC) is widely used for measuring GHG fluxes in agricultural fields, but is laborious and time-consuming. Th...

Weeds are serious problem in dry direct seeded rice (DDSR). A field experiment was conducted during rainy seasons of 2010 and 2011 at research farm of the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Parwanipur, to study the effect of integrated weed management practices on the performance of dry direct seeded rice. Ten treatment combinations viz;...

Rice farmers in Asia are altering the way they establish crop and manage weeds because of changes in the availability and cost of major resources such as labour, water and the energy. Direct-seeding is being practiced to reduce water and labour costs associated with transplanting rice. Weeds continued to be one of the major impediments for realisin...

Increasing scarcity of resources (labour, water, and energy) and cost of production, along with climate variability, are major challenges for the sustainability of rice–wheat system in the northwesten Indo- Gangetic Plains (IGP). We hypothesized that adopting the principles of conservation agriculture together with best crop management practices wo...

Rapid, precise, and globally comparable methods for monitoring greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes are required for accurate GHG inventories from different cropping systems and management practices. Manual gas sampling followed by gas chromatography (GC) is widely used for measuring GHG fluxes in agricultural fields, but is laborious and time-consuming. Th...

In the rice–wheat (RW) systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, conservation tillage practices, including zerotillage (ZT), are being promoted to address emerging problems such as (1) shortages of labor and water, (2) declining factor productivity, (3) deterioration of soil health, and (4) climate change. Despite multiple benefits of ZT,...

The major cereal cropping system in Bangladesh is rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the dry season (Boro) – rice in the wet season (Aman). The average productivity (7 t ha−1) of this system is far below attainable yields (14 t ha−1) in farmers’ fields, resulting in a large yield gap mainly due to farmers’ traditional management practices. We evaluated a se...

New cropping systems and good management practices for different environments were evaluated to maximize crop and input productivity and explore opportunities for greenhouse gas mitigation. In a field trial (clay with 1.27% total C and 0.075% total N) in South India, we compared crop productivity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a conventional...

Field experiments were conducted for two years during 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 in farmers’ fields at Sorajgonj Village in Sadar Upazila of Chuadanga District in Bangladesh. The objective was to evaluate the comparative efficacy of hand weeding and pretilachlor applied at different days after seeding (DAS) rice in effectively and economically control...

Satisfying the food demands of an ever-increasing population, preserving the natural resource base, and improving livelihoods are major challenges for South Asia. A large area of land in the Middle and Lower Gangetic Plains of South Asia remains either uncultivated or underused following the rice harvest in the kharif (wet) season. The area include...

The Rice-wheat (RW) cropping system is one of the major agricultural production systems in four Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal of South Asia covering about 32% of the total rice area and 42% of the total wheat area. The excessive utilization of natural resource bases and changing climate are leading to t...

Many Asian farmers are shifting from rice transplanting to direct seeding because the latter requires less labour, time, drudgery, and cultivation cost. Direct seeding is usually practiced in either wet or dry land preparation depending on water availability. The present study aimed at evaluating the potential of single and paired rows drill seedin...

A number of scientists have named our age the Anthropocene because humanity is globally aff ecting Earth systems, including the soil. Global soil change raises important questions about the future of soil, the environment, and human society. Although many soil scientists strive to understand human forcings as integral to soil genesis, there remains...