Abstract
Environmental pollution, resource dwindling, and soil degradation questioned the sustainability of contemporary agricultural production systems. Organic farming is advocated as a sustainable solution for ensuring food security without compromising environmental sustainability. However, poor farm productivity quizzed the sustainability of organic production systems. Hence, a field study was carried out in the Sikkim region of the Indian Himalayas to assess the efficacy of conservation-effective tilling and diversified cropping on system productivity, profitability, environmental quality, and soil nutrient balance in organic farming. Three tillage systems, namely, (i) conventional tillage (CT), (ii) reduced tillage (RT), and (iii) zero tillage (ZT), and four maize based diversified cropping systems (maize–black gram–toria, maize–black gram–buckwheat, maize–rajmash–toria, and maize–rajmash–buckwheat) were tested using a three times replicated split-plot design. The ZT system recorded 13.5 and 3.5% higher system productivity over CT and RT, respectively. Of the four diversified cropping systems, the maize–rajmash–buckwheat system recorded the maximum system productivity (13.99 Mg ha −1 ) and net returns (3,141 US$ ha −1 ) followed by the maize–black gram–buckwheat system. Among the tillage practices, ZT recorded the significantly high eco-efficiency index (EEI; 1.55 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission) and the lowest greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI; 0.15 kg CO 2 -eq per kg production). Of the diversified cropping systems, the maize-rajmash-buckwheat registered the lowest GHGI (0.14 CO 2 -eq per kg production) and the highest EEI (1.47 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission). Concerning soil nutrient balance, after three cropping cycles, the soil under ZT recorded significantly higher available N (340.0 kg ha −1 ), P (16.6 kg ha −1 ), and K (337.3 kg ha −1 ) over the CT system at 0–10 cm soil depth. Similarly, the soil under the maize–black gram–buckwheat system had the maximum bio-available NPK. Thus, the study suggests that the cultivation of the maize–black gram/rajmash–buckwheat systems under ZT and/or RT would increase farm productivity, profitability, and soil fertility with minimum GHGI in organic farming under the Eastern Himalayan region of India.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Zero tillage gave 13.5% higher system productivity than conventional tillage in organic maize-based systems.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The ZT system recorded 13.5 and 3.5% higher system productivity over CT and RT, respectively”
e1“four maize based diversified cropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Zero tillage gave 3.5% higher system productivity than reduced tillage in organic maize-based systems.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The ZT system recorded 13.5 and 3.5% higher system productivity over CT and RT, respectively”
e1“four maize based diversified cropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Among the four diversified cropping systems, maize–rajmash–buckwheat recorded the maximum system productivity, 13.99 Mg ha −1.
- Treatment
- maize–rajmash–buckwheat systeme0
- Outcome
- system productivitye0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Value
- 13.99 Mg ha −1e0
- Comparator
- four diversified cropping systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the four diversified cropping systems, the maize–rajmash–buckwheat system recorded the maximum system productivity (13.99 Mg ha −1 ) and net returns (3,141 US$ ha −1 )”
Claim · model-written summary
Among the four diversified cropping systems, maize–rajmash–buckwheat recorded the maximum net returns, 3,141 US$ ha −1.
- Treatment
- maize–rajmash–buckwheat systeme0
- Outcome
- net returnse0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Value
- 3,141 US$ ha −1e0
- Comparator
- four diversified cropping systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the four diversified cropping systems, the maize–rajmash–buckwheat system recorded the maximum system productivity (13.99 Mg ha −1 ) and net returns (3,141 US$ ha −1 )”
Claim · model-written summary
Among tillage practices, zero tillage recorded the significantly highest eco-efficiency index, 1.55 US$ per kg CO2-eq emission.
- Treatment
- ZTe0
- Outcome
- eco-efficiency indexe0
- Direction
- highe0
- Value
- 1.55 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emissione0
- Comparator
- tillage practicese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among the tillage practices, ZT recorded the significantly high eco-efficiency index (EEI; 1.55 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission) and the lowest greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI; 0.15 kg CO 2 -eq per kg production)”
e1“four maize based diversified cropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Among tillage practices, zero tillage recorded the lowest greenhouse gas intensity, 0.15 kg CO2-eq per kg production.
- Treatment
- ZTe0
- Outcome
- greenhouse gas intensitye0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 0.15 kg CO 2 -eq per kg productione0
- Comparator
- tillage practicese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Among the tillage practices, ZT recorded the significantly high eco-efficiency index (EEI; 1.55 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission) and the lowest greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI; 0.15 kg CO 2 -eq per kg production)”
e1“four maize based diversified cropping systems”
Claim · model-written summary
Among diversified cropping systems, maize-rajmash-buckwheat registered the lowest GHGI, 0.14 CO2-eq per kg production.
- Treatment
- maize-rajmash-buckwheate0
- Outcome
- GHGIe0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 0.14 CO 2 -eq per kg productione0
- Comparator
- diversified cropping systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the diversified cropping systems, the maize-rajmash-buckwheat registered the lowest GHGI (0.14 CO 2 -eq per kg production) and the highest EEI (1.47 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission)”
Claim · model-written summary
Among diversified cropping systems, maize-rajmash-buckwheat registered the highest EEI, 1.47 US$ per kg CO2-eq emission.
- Treatment
- maize-rajmash-buckwheate0
- Outcome
- EEIe0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 1.47 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emissione0
- Comparator
- diversified cropping systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Of the diversified cropping systems, the maize-rajmash-buckwheat registered the lowest GHGI (0.14 CO 2 -eq per kg production) and the highest EEI (1.47 US$ per kg CO 2 -eq emission)”
Claim · model-written summary
After three cropping cycles, soil under zero tillage had significantly higher available N (340.0 kg ha −1) than conventional tillage at 0–10 cm depth.
- Treatment
- ZTe0
- Outcome
- available Ne0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 340.0 kg ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- 0–10 cm soil depthe0
- Comparator
- CT systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the soil under ZT recorded significantly higher available N (340.0 kg ha −1 ), P (16.6 kg ha −1 ), and K (337.3 kg ha −1 ) over the CT system at 0–10 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
After three cropping cycles, soil under zero tillage had significantly higher available P (16.6 kg ha −1) than conventional tillage at 0–10 cm depth.
- Treatment
- ZTe0
- Outcome
- Pe0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 16.6 kg ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- 0–10 cm soil depthe0
- Comparator
- CT systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the soil under ZT recorded significantly higher available N (340.0 kg ha −1 ), P (16.6 kg ha −1 ), and K (337.3 kg ha −1 ) over the CT system at 0–10 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
After three cropping cycles, soil under zero tillage had significantly higher available K (337.3 kg ha −1) than conventional tillage at 0–10 cm depth.
- Treatment
- ZTe0
- Outcome
- Ke0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 337.3 kg ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- 0–10 cm soil depthe0
- Comparator
- CT systeme0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the soil under ZT recorded significantly higher available N (340.0 kg ha −1 ), P (16.6 kg ha −1 ), and K (337.3 kg ha −1 ) over the CT system at 0–10 cm soil depth”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil under the maize–black gram–buckwheat system had the maximum bio-available NPK.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the soil under the maize–black gram–buckwheat system had the maximum bio-available NPK”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest cultivating maize–black gram/rajmash–buckwheat systems under zero and/or reduced tillage to increase farm productivity, profitability and soil fertility with minimum GHGI in organic farming.
- Outcome
- cultivation of the maize–black gram/rajmash–buckwheat systems under ZT and/or RTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the study suggests that the cultivation of the maize–black gram/rajmash–buckwheat systems under ZT and/or RT would increase farm productivity, profitability, and soil fertility with minimum GHGI in organic farming”
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