2. DEFINITION
• Concept for resource saving agricultural crop
production that strives to achieve acceptable profits
together with high and sustained production level
while concurrently saving the environment (FAO
2009)
3. • It enhances biodiversity and natural biological
processes above and below the ground surface,
which contribute to increased water and nutrient use
efficiency and to improved and sustained crop
production.
4. • Edward H Faulkner (1886-1964)- Father of conservation
tillage criticized mould board plough use for disastrous
tillage of soil .
• Tilling soil continuously without adding organic matter
has adverse effect on soil health and quality of the
produce.
• The concerns for soil erosion ,soil quality deterioration
made scientist to evolve conservation based agricultural
system.
5. • Evolved in USA because of increased oil prices and land
degradation
• 1930-dust bowl formed in USA great plains due to
extensive tillage practices and soil exposure to wind
6. • During 1942 introduction of 2,4-D ,Atrazine and paraquat
enable the farmers to manage weeds with less tillage.
• In 1970s no-till drills, which open small groves for placing
seeds and disturb soil to a least were developed .
• In 1990s, newer version of no till drill so called new
generation machines like Happy seeder , Turbo seeder came
into existence
8. Why minimum soil disturbance ?
• Tillage and ploughing is the most time and power
consuming operation avoided saving time and cost
• Ploughing disturbs the soil making it susceptible to
erosion by water and wind
9. TILLAGE-Immediate effect
• Weeds control
• Seed bed preparation
• Water infiltration increases
• Soil aeration increases
• Nutrients released
• Incorporation of organic manure and nutrients
10. Long term effects
• Depleted soil organic matter
• Damaged soil structure and macropores
• Soil flora and fauna decreases
• Hard plough pan formation
• Restricted aeration
• Decline in nutrient avilability
11. • Direct seeding involves growing crops without
mechanical seedbed preparation and with minimal
soil disturbance since the harvest of the previous
crop
• synonymous with no-till farming, zero tillage, no-
tillage, direct drilling
• The equipment penetrates the soil cover, opens a
seeding slot and places the seed into that slot.
12. 2.Permanent soil cover
• By crop residues –dead plant matter and imported
mulch
• By cover crops
• By living plants synchronized for all year round
production
13. why permanent soil cover?
• More soil organic matter and available nutrients
• Promotes biological activity of soil organisms leading
to increased fauna
• Increased humus leads to soil enrichment and
improved soil structure
• Increased water infiltration ,decreased water
evaporation, water and nutrient holding capacity
14. • Cushions temperature changes
• Better root penetration and crop growth
• Less soil erosion from both water and wind
• Less weed pressure
15. 3.Crop rotation
• Greater crop production overall
• Break pest cycle and control weeds by introducing
weed smothering combinations
• Improved nutrient cycling from deeper layers to crop
rooting zones
• Mitigate dry spells and some crop failures
• Balance amount and quality of residues for soil cover
from legumes,cereals,high and low bio mass crops
16. OTHER PRINCIPLES
• utilization of green manures/cover crops (GMCC's) to
produce the residue cover
• no burning of crop residues
• integrated disease and pest management
• controlled/limited human and mechanical traffic
over agricultural soils.
17. PRACTICES IN CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE
• Laser land levelling
• Conservation tillage
• Ridge tillage
• Brown manuring
18. STATUS OF CA
• World wide 157 mha
• Major in USA,Brazil,Argentina,Canada, Australia
• 11% cropped area 50% in developing countries
• In India practised in 3.5 mha
• Mostly in Indo gangetic plains of rice- wheat
consortium of about 2 million hectares
19. • Crops cultivated direct seeded rice, soybean ,maize, cluster
bean, mungbean, pearl millet, wheat ,chickpea ,rapeseed-
mustard and lentil
• Equipments for conservation agriculture- turbo seeder, happy
seeder, multi crop planter, zero till fertilizers seed drill fitted
with T openers, disk planters, punch planter,trash movers or
roto disk openers
20. Conventional agriculture
• Excessive tillage and soil erosion
• Residue Burning
• Use of ex-situ FYM
• Green manuring
• Free wheeling farm machinery
• Crop based management
• Sole crops
• Uneven field levels
21. Conservation agriculture
• No tillage/drastically reduced tillage
• Surface retention of residues minimum 30%
• Use of in-situ organics
• Brown manuring (surface drying)
• Controlled traffic
• Cropping system based management
• Intercropping /Relay Cropping
23. Advantages
• Economic benefits production efficiency
• Agronomic benefits soil productivity
• Environmental and protect the soil
social benefits
24. Economic benefits
• Time saving and reduction in labour requirement
• Reduction of cost (fuel, machinery operating costs
and maintanence)
• More output for lower input
25. LAND
• Improves soil structure
• Protects the soil against erosion
• Prevent nutrient losses by maintaining a permanent
soil cover and minimizing soil disturbance.
• Enhance soil organic matter (SOM) levels and
nutrient availability by utilizing the previous crop
residues or growing green manure/ cover crops
(GMCC's) and keeping these residues as a surface
mulch rather than burning.
• Thus, arable land under CA is more productive for
much longer periods of time.
26. WATER
• Requires significantly less water use due to increased
infiltration and enhanced water holding capacity
from crop residues left on the soil surface.
• Mulches also protect the soil surface from extreme
temperatures and greatly reduce surface
evaporation, which is particularly important in
tropical and sub-tropical climates.
27. NUTRIENTS
• Enhanced by the biochemical decomposition of organic
crop residues at the soil surface that are also vital for
feeding the soil microbes.
• nitrogen needs of primary food crops can be achieved
by planting nitrogen-fixing legume species, other
essential nutrients must be supplemented by
additional chemical and/or organic fertilizer inputs.
• In general, soil fertility is built up over time under
conservation agriculture, and fewer fertilizer
amendments are required to achieve optimal yields
over time.
28. SOIL BIOTA
• Diverse community of beneficial soil organisms,
including predatory wasps, spiders, nematodes,
springtails, mites and beneficial bacteria and fungi,
among other species.
• The burrowing activity of earthworms and other
fauna create tiny channels or pores in the soil that
facilitate the exchange of water and gases and loosen
the soil for enhanced root penetration.
29. ENVIRONMENT
• Environmentally-friendly set of technologies since it
uses resources more efficiently than conventional
agriculture, these resources become available for other
uses, including conserving them for future generations.
• The significant reduction in fossil fuel use under no-till
agriculture results in fewer greenhouse gases being
emitted into the atmosphere and cleaner air in general.
• Reduced applications of agrochemicals under CA also
significantly lessens pollution levels in air, soil and
water.
30. LIMITATIONS
• Enhanced weed and pest problems
• Lack of knowledge regarding different ecosystems
• Frequent dearth of information on locally adapted
cover crops that produce high bio mass
• Initial nervousness about switching from plough
based farming to conservation agriculture
31. CONSTRAINTS
• lack of appropriate seeders
• Wide spread use of crop residues for livestock feed
and fuel
• Burning of crop residues
• Lack of knowledge about the potential of CA to
agricultural leaders, extension agents and farmers
• Skilled and scientific man power
32. Reference
• CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE KNOWLEDGE
PORTAL,CORNELL UNIVERSITY
• Conservation agriculture in India – Problems, prospects and
policy issues Suraj Bhan and U. K. Behera, INTERNATIONAL
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION RESEARCH
• Ajoy gangopadhyay., Conserving agriculture 2007.,
