Sustainable Crop Production in Vertic Inceptisols System priorities 4A, 4C, 4D, 3A

1. Sustainable Crop Production in Vertic Inceptisols System priorities 4A, 4C, 4D, 3A BW 7 Watershed at ICRISAT, Patancheru Runoff and soil erosion Introduction Improved management decreased surface runoff by 29%, soil loss by 47%, and nitrogen loss by 43% as compared to the traditional management Vertic Inceptisols occupy about 51 million ha in India, which are prone to land degradation. Soybean-based cropping systems are dominant with productivity below 1.0 t ha-1. Mean surface runoff, soil erosion and loss of nitrates with management practices (1995-2006) Distribution of black soils and soybean in India Treatments a) Land Management Systems 1. Improved system ‒ Broadbed and furrow system (BBF); Glyricidia on graded bunds + composted crop residue 2. Traditional system ‒ Sowing on flat with graded bunds b) Cropping Systems Changes in soil organic carbon (OC) and other nutrients Improved management retained 2 t ha-1 more OC than the traditional system; and SB/PP retained 2.4 to 6.4 t ha-1 more OC in the soil as compared to SB-CP. Soil organic carbon status in 2002 under cropping systems Soil organic carbon status in 1995 and 2002 in land management treatments Major constraints to crop production • Land degradation caused by high runoff and soil erosion, water logging, depletion of soil nutrients, organic matter and soil biota • Inappropriate land, water and crop management practices • Low cropping intensity Results Grain yield of cropping systems • Improved management system increased productivity by 7-21% over traditional system • Productivity of SB-CP and SB/PP was increased to 2.7 and 2.1 t ha-1,respectively • Productivity of legume-legume system decreased over years • Productivity of maize-safflower increased to 6.9 t ha-1 Total nitrogen, Olsen’s P, zinc, sulphur and boron contents of soil in 2002 The Approach • Enhance water use efficiency • Diversify systems with high-value crops (Vegetables & fruit trees) Conclusions Total grain yield of MZ-SF and SB/PP systems during 2004-06 BW 7 Watershed: Objectives Total grain yield of SB-CP and SB/PP systems during 1995-97 and 2001-03 • Catchment management and holistic IGNRM approach increased productivity of soybean-based systems up to 2.7 t ha-1, reduced runoff by 29%, soil loss by 47% and NO3-N loss by 43% as compared to farmers’ practice • Pigeonpea-based systems minimized soil C depletion and could help building soil C stocks in Vertic Inceptisols • Rainwater use efficiency substantially improved with improved management and through conjunctive use of groundwater. • Increase productivity of soybean-based cropping systems through adoption of improved soil, water, nutrient and crop management practices • Evaluate long-term effects of improved vs. traditional management on productivity of crops, natural resources and environment International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India