Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
8. N Mgt.
7. Water
mgt. AWD
6. Weed
mgt.
5. Paired
row
80%
basal
+LCC
4. + control
trac
Manual
5 equal
space
3. + residues
1. Laser
leveled and
bunded +
Free wheeling
4− _
Unpuddled
transplanted or
DSR-zero till
wheat in flats
3_
1−
2. Primed
improved
seed and seed
treatment +/−
Conventional PTR
FIGURE 5.3
Example of strategic entry points for layering of the CA components.
Notations: laser leveled (L) and traditionally leveled (TL) fields; weed management through
chemical control (Hrb) and mechanical means (Mech); compaction-free wheeling of tractor
(FW) and movement of tractor in fixed tramlines/controlled traffic (CT); FW, free wheeling;
CT, controlled traffic; M, manual weeding; CM, chemical molecules; ES, equal spacing; PR,
paired row planting; IC, incorporation; SR, surface retention; BM, brown manuring.
practices. The curved arrows suggest that a farmer can jump from step 2 (+residues)
to step 4 (equal spacing), and then to manual weed management (5) to continue
the alternate wetting drying (AWD) practice with advantage (a better-bet) than the
conventional practice with all (−) in the process chain (business as usual). If the
farmer follows the upper chain, it implies that the farmer has opted for the “best-bet”
management practices. This illustration enables one to define “better- and best-bet”
practices for several other tillage-crop establishment systems.
From the example above, it would appear that stepwise layering of “better-bet”
technologies and practices on CA platforms help farmers improve the crop and total
system productivity at less costs, by making the best use of appropriate cultivars
for no-till systems; avoiding unnecessary use of external inputs; harnessing agro-
ecological processes such as nutrient cycling, predation, and parasitism (through
mulching); and biological nitrogen fixation (seed treatment). It also minimizes the
use of technologies or practices that have adverse impacts on the environment and
human health (e.g., preventing residue burning, and fertilizer N broadcasting); car-
bon sequestration; biodiversity; and dispersal of pests, pathogens, and weeds. Pretty
et al. (2011) have earlier suggested that if a technology assists in the efficient con-
version of solar energy without adverse ecological consequences, then it is likely to
contribute to the system's sustainability.
The example in Figure 5.3 also suggests that RCTs are “divisible” and “flexible”
in application under diverse situations,
allowing farmers to benefit from them under
diverse situations. CA-based RCTs are an “open” approach, easier to mainstream and
be adapted even in conventional agriculture systems.
