Kundu Arindam, Kundu Champak Kumar, Dey Prithwiraj, Rana Soham, Majumder Jhumur, Bera Anurag, Paramanik Bappa, Patra Partha Sarathi, Uddin Md Galal, Abioui Mohamed, Saraswat Anuj
Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture and Allied Science, The Neotia University, Sarisha, Jhinga, West Bengal, India.
Department of Agronomy, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India.
Heliyon. 2024 Feb 15;10(4):e26524. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26524. eCollection 2024 Feb 29.
This study investigates the effects of tillage and mulching regimes on rice-sweet corn systems in the lower Gangetic plains, focusing on region-specific and crop-specific impacts on soil-crop-environmental parameters. The experiment consisted of three levels of tillage: conventional (CT), minimum (MT), and zero (ZT), and four levels of mulching: live, leaf litter, paddy straw, and no mulching. The results show that ZT tillage resulted in higher bulk density (BD) compared to other treatments, despite an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC). Live and leaf litter mulching led to slight reductions in BD in the upper soil layers. CT resulted in net depletion of SOC whereas ZT registered a positive sequestration rate of 1.19 Mg ha yr. Live and leaf litter mulching increased SOC sequestration by 42.6% and 38.8% compared to paddy straw mulching, respectively. Initially, ZT resulted in a 10.3% reduction in system productivity compared to CT, while MT yields were comparable to CT. However, mulching regimes consistently improved production by 16.4%-25.2% as compared to no mulch. ZT and MT were found to be more affordable than CT, with cost savings of 18.2% and 6.8%, respectively. ZT had the highest B: C ratio, indicating better economic efficiency. Among the mulching treatments, live mulching was the most economical. Both ZT and MT saved input energy by approximately 22.9% and 13.5%, respectively compared to CT. Live mulching resulted in the highest net energy and energy output. Compared to CT, ZT reduced carbon footprint (CF) by 41.5 and 22.2% in rice and sweet corn, respectively. MT scored midway between ZT and CT in all parameters. CT exhibited several limitations, including high input energy requirements, high cost of cultivation, poor economic efficiency, negative environmental impacts, and loss of SOC. ZT initially experienced yield reduction and lower net returns in the early years. Therefore, MT was identified as the best alternative in the initial years before transitioning completely to ZT, as it provided comparable yields to CT with better overall benefits. Among the soil cover regimes, live mulching was found to be the most favorable option across all dimensions.
本研究调查了恒河平原下游稻 - 甜玉米系统中耕作和覆盖方式的影响，重点关注对土壤 - 作物 - 环境参数的区域特异性和作物特异性影响。试验包括三个耕作水平：传统耕作（CT）、少耕（MT）和免耕（ZT），以及四个覆盖水平：活体覆盖、落叶覆盖、稻草覆盖和无覆盖。结果表明，尽管土壤有机碳（SOC）增加，但与其他处理相比，ZT耕作导致土壤容重（BD）更高。活体和落叶覆盖使上层土壤的BD略有降低。CT导致SOC净消耗，而ZT的固存率为1.19 Mg ha yr。与稻草覆盖相比，活体和落叶覆盖分别使SOC固存增加了42.6%和38.8%。最初，与CT相比，ZT使系统生产力降低了10.3%，而MT产量与CT相当。然而，与无覆盖相比，覆盖方式始终使产量提高了16.4% - 25.2%。发现ZT和MT比CT更经济实惠，成本分别节省了18.2%和6.8%。ZT的B：C比最高，表明经济效率更高。在覆盖处理中，活体覆盖最经济。与CT相比，ZT和MT分别节省了约22.9%和13.5%的输入能量。活体覆盖产生的净能量和能量输出最高。与CT相比，ZT在水稻和甜玉米中分别减少了41.5%和22.2%的碳足迹（CF）。MT在所有参数上介于ZT和CT之间。CT表现出几个局限性，包括高输入能量需求、高种植成本、低经济效率、负面环境影响和SOC损失。ZT在最初几年产量下降且净回报较低。因此，MT被确定为在完全过渡到ZT之前最初几年的最佳替代方案，因为它提供了与CT相当的产量且总体效益更好。在土壤覆盖方式中，活体覆盖在所有方面都是最有利的选择。
