Browsing by Author "Singh, M."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Effect of shallow tillage, moldboard plowing, straw management and compost addition on soil organic matter and nitrogen in a dryland barley/wheat-vetch rotation
    Sommer, R.; Ryan, J.; Masri, S.; Singh, M.; Diekmann, J. (Elsevier, 2011)
    Crop residue and soil organic matter (SOM) management and their relation to tillage and crop rotation are of particular concern for dryland farming practiced in Mediterranean climates of North Africa and West Asia. In this study, the effect of tillage, straw management, and compost application on soil depth of SOM, labile and microbial carbon and nitrogen, and total organic nitrogen was measured. The addition of compost increased SOM and labile nitrogen and carbon. Shallow tillage also contributed to the increase in SOM and the subsequent increase in crop yields in dry years. However, amounts of straw required for compost production limits the viability of this system within an actual production setting in which straw would most likely be used for fodder. Thus, animal-integrated systems may not be able to achieve sufficient levels necessary to provide benefit.
  • Optimizing intensive cereal-based cropping systems addressing current and future drivers of agricultural change in the northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India
    Gathala, Mahesh K.; Kumar, V.; Sharma, P. C.; Saharawat, Y. S.; Jat, H. S.; Singh, M.; Kumar, A.; Jat, M. L.; Humphreys, E.; Sharma, D. K.; Sharma, Sheetal; Ladha, J. K. (2013)
    In the Indo-Gangetic plains of India, labor scarcity, energy constraints, and rising input costs, combined with needs for increased yields are driving interest in alternatives to the predominant rice-wheat cropping system. This paper describes the performance of four cereal cropping systems in the first two years of a large-scale production-level experimental research platform. The study was conducted at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), in Karnal, Haryana, India. The results show positive impacts of conservation agriculture on yield, water use, water productivity, and profitability.