Improving Soil Functions for Sustainable Agriculture- a case study from South India A Nexus of Soils-Environment-Livelihoods E.V.S.Prakasa Rao Independent(Formerly, Chief Scientist, CSIR-Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation, Bengaluru and Head, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru, India) [email protected]S12 Assessing the role of soil functions for achieving SDGs
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Improving Soil Functions for
Sustainable Agriculture- a case study
from South India A Nexus of Soils-Environment-Livelihoods
E.V.S.Prakasa Rao
Independent(Formerly, Chief Scientist, CSIR-Centre for
Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation,
Bengaluru and Head, Central Institute of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bengaluru, India)
Black soils: pH 8.5 – 9.0, poor in organic matter and nitrogen but sufficient in P and K.
Red soils: pH 6.8 – 8.0, light, dry and rain fed crops with poor yields. , poor in organic matter, N and available P, moderate in K.
Coastal alluvial soils: Sandy, Poor in plant nutrients. and organic matter.
River alluvial soils: Rich in plant nutrients.
Karnataka
Laterite soils: pH 4.5 – 6.0, low in bases, poor in plant nutrients in organic matter and N.
Kerala
.
Peaty soils (black): pH as low as 3.9, 10 to 40 % organic matter, 0.4% K2O, poor in P2O5
Tamil Nadu
Deltaic alluvial soils: pH 7.0 – 8.2, low in bases, poor in organic matter and N and P but rich in K.
Forest and hill soils: pH 4.5 – 6.5, 0.1 – 0.7% N, poor in bases.
WHY A NEXUS AMONG SOILS –LIVELIHOODS-ENVIRONMENT?
“ Economic survival and viability are the primary goals of land managers, and while most appreciate the need for environmental conservation, the simple fact remains that ‘it is hard to be green when you are in the red’ ”.
(R.Lal, Soil carbon sequestration in India. Climatic Change, 65, 277-296, 2004)
Demography of sample villages
Literacy
13.4%
Average land holding
1-3 ac
Economic status
Poor
Delicate soil ecosystems supporting livelihoods
Crops and economics in western
ghats region in India
Crop
Net income
(Rs/ha)
Rice
12 000
Arecanut
49 000
Cashew nut
53 000
Vetiver
123 000
Vetiver with banana
Rice cultivation in valleys
Vetiver; arecanut and a distillation unit in the background
E.V.S.Prakasa Rao et al., 2015.Sust. Agric. Rev. (in press)
Carbon should be sequestered to
maintain soil functions and also to protect environment
Such systems planted in 10% of
wastelands can fix up to 200 Tg C
yr -1 in India
(M.Singh, N.Guleria, E. V. S. Prakasa Rao and
P.Goswami(2014)Agronomy for Sustainable
Development 34(3), 603-607 DOI 10.1007/s13593-
013-0184-3.)
Recycling of agro-wastes by vermi-composting ( 20 ftX 6 ft X 1.5 ft pits)
Vermi-compost
produced 300 kg/pit/batch
N(%) 1.4
P(%) 0.12
K(%) 0.22
Organic C (%) 22.9
E.V.S.Prakasa Rao et al., 2015.Sust. Agric.
Rev. (in press)
Effect of organic and conventional
methods of cultivation of medicinal and
aromatic plants on some soil properties (4 yrs)
Treatment Organic
carbon
(%)
Bulk
density
(g/cm3)
Microbial
biomass
(mg/kg)
Available
P2O5
(kg/ha)
Organic 0.63 1.43 90.0 22.95
Inorganic
0.39
1.62
27.4
19.1
(Puttanna,K., E. V. S, Prakasa Rao, C. T. Gopinath, T. N. Parameswaran, Alok Kalra, S. Ramesh and R. P. Singh, International Seminar India Organic 2007, New Delhi, 29 Nov. 2007- 2 Dec. 2007 )
Soil analysis in an Eucalyptus
citriodora plantation (at the end of 10 yrs)
Soil characteristic Fallow soil E. citriodora
plantation
pH 0-15 cm
15-30 cm
5.64
5.70
5.79
5.81
Organic carbon
0-15 cm
15-30 cm
0.35
0.35
0.46
0.45
Available N (kg/ha)
0-15 cm
15-30 cm
310
310
318
278
Available P (kg/ha)
0-15 cm
15-30 cm
6.6
10.3
3.4
7.7
Exchange K (kg/ha)
0-15 cm
15-30 cm
524
408
488
423
CEC (meq/100g)
0-15 cm
2.0
2.6
Prakasa Rao, E,V,S, et al., Fafai J., 1(3), 44-47, 1999
Nirogen being very mobile in tropical
soils, requires proper management to
improve N-use efficiency
Techniques % improvement over
conventional method
Split application
Urea supergranules
Neem cake coated urea
DCD-treated urea
Fe-deficiency correction
Combination of organics
and inorganics
16
12-15
25
31
36
33
E.V.S.Prakasa Rao. Indian Journal of Agronomy 56 (4): 280-296 (2011)
Protection of soil – perennial aromatic grasses provide a way
Effect of spentgrass : urea-N ratio on release of NO3
- - N
(Puttanna, K., & Prakasa Rao E.V.S.- , Sehgal J. Ed. et al. Red and Lateritic Soils of India – Resource Appraisal and Management, NBSS Publ. 37 NBSS&LUP, Nagpur, India, 346 p., 1993)
In situ soil moisture
conservation in rainfed palmarosa
Method Herb yield (t/ha/6
harvests)
Weed biomass (t/ha)
Mulching
16.1 22.5
Wider interrow-narrow
intrarow spacing
18.5 13.2
Ridges & Furrows
21.5 10.9
Life saving irrigation
21.2 12.1
Normal planting
21.0 12.6
Incorporation of spent
material
25.3 10.0
L.S.D. (P=0.05)
2.98 - E.V.S.Prakasa Rao et al., 2001. European J. Agronomy, 14: 167-172.
P deficiency can be rectified to
increase income and soil P status in rain-fed palmarosa
P applica-
tion (kg/ha/yr)
Net
balance of
available
P(kg/ha) in
soil(0-15
cm)
Palma-rosa
oil yield
(kg/ha)
Extra
income
(Rs/ha)
0 -0.9 38.1
17.5 7.0 40.4 3000
35.0 19.6 44.3 6000
52.5 19.7 47.0 13500
E.V.S.Prakasa Rao et al., 2001. European J. Agronomy, 14: 167-172.
Technology helps economics and environment in vetiver oil distillation
Method of
distillation
Firewood
consumption
(kg/batch)
Man
days/batch
Convention-
al
600 18
Improved 150 3
Method of distillation
Vetiver oil recovery
(%)
Vetiver oil yield
(kg/ha)
Conventional 0.78 17
Improved 1.20 25
Traditional distillation unit
Improved distillation unit E.V.S.Prakasa Rao et al., 2015.Sust. Agric. Rev. (in
press)
Vetiver dry leaves are used to make
temporary hutments for the farm workers in the western ghats area, India