Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - April 2026

This paper from India looked at the long-term impacts of CA management on water infiltration in soils and also determined the effectiveness of Kostiakov, Green and Ampt, and Philip models in predicting the infiltration rates. Treatments included permanent broad bed (PBB), PBB with residue (PBB+R), permanent narrow bed (PNB), PNB with residue (PNB+R), zero tillage (ZT), and ZT with residue (ZT+R) and conventional tillage (CT). Initial infiltration rate was maximum in PBB+R, which was 111.5% higher than in conventional tillage CT (lowest). PBB+R had the highest infiltration, followed by PNB+R>ZT+R>PBB>PNB>ZT>CT. In other words residue was important for improving infiltration. The Kostiakov model performed the best for predicting infiltration rates.

This paper from India looks at Precision nutrient management (PNM) in CA management to improve wheat yields, profits, nutrient and energy efficiency. The field experiments used had 4 treatments; conventional tillage (CT) with and without residues, and permanent raised beds (PRB) with and without residues. Note the PRB's were not tilled. They also had 3 nutrient treatments: (i) soil test-based recommendation (NMSc1-STB), (ii) nutrient expert-based (NMSc2-NE), and (iii) Nutrient Expert + GreenSeeker (NMSc3-NE + GS). Results showed that the PRB+R was the best treatment in terms of wheat growth, phenology, nutrient balance, energy efficiency, and economic returns compared to the other treatments. In terms of nutrient management, NMSc3-NE + GS was the best treatment. They concluded that "The integration of PRB + R along with PNM optimized resource utilization and improved the economic index and energy budget, making the system more climate-resilient and a sustainable agri-food system.

Burning of crop residue by farmers so they can easily prepare land for the next crop is common in India that creates a health issue by polluting the air. It also contributes to C02 and black carbon emissions that then affects climate change negatively. This paper points out that the introduction of the Happy Seeder from Australia allows farmers to sow the next crop without removing the previous crop residue and so is an effective alternative to burning. However, the supply of this seeder is limited and this delays planting of wheat after rice that results in lower wheat yields. This paper looks at how this predicament can be resolved in India through Government policies. 

This research looked at long-term adoption of residue retention on soil-water and temperature for wheat grown under CA in both a field experiment and crop model simulation using the APSIM (Agriculture Production System Simulator) model. Two tillage practices were NT + Residue retention (NT+R) and CT with residue incorporation (CT+R). The results indicated that the model accurately simulated crop phenology, leaf area index, above ground biomass, and grain yield under both tillage treatments. Soil water content, transpiration and drainage were higher in NT+R compared to CT+R. Evaporation and soil temperature were higher in CT+R. The authors were happy with the APSIM model for identifying the effect of tillage and residue on wheat yield components. 

This study examined CA practices in a maize-wheat system in India using a 2-year field study with 15 treatment combinations. Their results showed that No-tillage (NT) with residue retention (+R) and phosphorus dose (34.4 kg P ha⁻¹) produced the highest (8.17 t ha⁻¹) maize equivalent yield, system productivity, and net economic return. NT + R also significantly enhanced soil organic carbon, water-stable aggregates, microbial biomass, and enzymatic activities. In contrast, phosphorus application with microbial inoculants under NT without residue (-R) yielded the highest energy use efficiency. They conclude that "integrating CA-practices and optimal phosphorus management enhances system productivity, profitability, and soil sustainability."

This paper from India starts by saying India with 121 million small and marginal holdings, faces challenges from a growing population, limited land, and restricted resources.Their review identifies potential innovative technologies suitable for resource poor farmers and what effective ways are needed like public-private partnerships, cooperative farming, and custom hiring centers to overcome adoption barriers and identified enabling factors such as funding, education, and institutional support. They also suggest that a multi-faceted approach with policy, financial, and educational support is essential for adoption. They conclude that findings are relevant to policymakers and development practitioners focused on enhancing food security and resilience in smallholder farming.

This paper starts by saying conventional agriculture is labor, energy and water inefficient and so reports of experiments to identify more sustainable, productive and efficient crop production in a maize-wheat-mungbean system started in 2009-10 and assessed in 2018-19 to 2019-20. Treatments included CA-based bed planting methods such as permanent narrow, broad and flat beds with and without retention of crops residues and 75% and 100% of the recommended dose of nitrogen (N) were compared with conventional tillage (CT) treatment. Results show that adopting the CA practice involving a permanent broad bed with residue using 100% N in this maize-wheat-greengram system was more productive and efficient for nutrients, water, and energy.

The authors mention that there are 3.5mha of CA in India but little data on the effects of CA on soil nutrient dynamics like N, P, and S. They have a nine year study on these nutrients in a maize-wheat cropping pattern that compares CA with conventional methods. Results show that CA and N addition significantly enhanced various soil chemical properties and microbial biomass compared to CM for N, P and S and concluded that "These findings contribute crucial knowledge for sustainable development by offering valuable perspectives on N, P and S management strategies."

This paper from Bihar, Eastern India, looks at raised bed planting (RBP) for smallholder maize farmers. They evaluated this management system for 4 rabi (winter) seasons and compared with conventional flat planting (FP). They looked at yield, profitability, water use efficiency (WUE), and nutrient use efficiency (NUE). Maize yields were much higher under RBP than FP but also more profitable with higher net returns, better WUE and NUE. Farmers need to be motivated to adopt this system for Rabi maize. 

This paper looks at wheat production in subtropical systems where terminal heat, lodging and erratic rain are common climate induced stresses. The data is collected from 8 locations in India. There were two tillage treatments; CT and NT and permanent raised beds (PRB). They had early and timely planting dates and 3 wheat varieties. Results show that NT and PRB significantly reduced lodging and increased grain yields compared to CT. Early sowing (early November) and the use of lodging-resilient varieties reduced crop lodging, improved crop performance, and increased wheat grain yield compared to late sowing (late November) and the lodging susceptible variety.

This paper looks at the rice-wheat system in Eastern India where smallholder farmers are using excessive water and nitrogen with soil degradation. They used field studies and a crop simulation model to assess resilience, viability, and sustainability of this cropping system under CA with different irrigation methods and nitrogen rates. They had 4 treatments from the puddled transplanted rice (PTR) and zero-tilled wheat (ZTW) with flood irrigation to direct seeded rice (DSR) fb ZTW with sub-surface drip irrigation and 75% and 100% recommended N and a N control plot. The DNDC model accurately predicted soil mineral N. DSR-ZTW with drip irrigation  enhanced sustainability and productivity compared to PTR-ZTW and reduced methane emissions by 70-80%. This system also provided the highest system yield, lowered water losses and improved N use efficiency, and reduced GHG emissions. 

This is an interesting article that looks at adding no-till potatoes after rice in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, India. The no-till potatoes is diagrammed in this paper and consists of applying a 10cm layer of compost on the soil surface, planting the potato tubers on this compost and then covering the tubers with 20 cm of paddy straw as a mulch. This area after rice is normally left fallow. This experiment was conducted over 8 years to intensify cropping systems and improve farmer incomes. The first 2 years was used to identify suitable potato germplasm. This cropping expansion improved soil health, conserved moisture and reduced labor and costs. The analysis of the estimated adoption also showed that more than 90% adoption is likely to be achieved within a decade.

This maize-wheat experiment in India evaluated various agronomic practices productivity, profitability, energy use efficiency, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to identify climate resilient and sustainable agronomic practices for this important cropping system.The experiment utilized different crop establishment methods and nutrient management options. Permanent raised beds (PRB) with residue (R) significantly enhanced system productivity (+23.2 %) over conventional tillage (CT) without residue, with higher system production and monetary efficiencies. They conclude that adopting CA practices enhances productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability in M W system. 

This interesting paper from India looks at Arbuscular mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Glomalin soil protein using CA management (no-till and weed management) and comparing with conventional in a cotton-maize system. They also had treatments with Sesbania green manure cover crop. Weed management included W1: Chemical weed control, W2: Herbicide rotation, W3: Integrated weed management and W4: Single hand-weeded control. The results showed that CA resulted in higher AMF and Glomalin than conventional. They concluded that "In general, the examined parameters in the study are highly supported by zero-till + crop residues, and can be considered indicators for monitoring agroecosystems and soil health"

This research from NW India analyzed data from a 17-year long term experiment that concentrated on crop establishment, tillage and residue management in a rice-wheat system. This cropping system and region of India is impacted by residue burning and GHG emissions. The experiment had 5 scenarios from the traditional system of puddled transplanted rice followed by tillage before planting wheat with all residues removed (Traditional) to NT direct seeded rice (NTDSR), NT wheat (NTW) and 1/3rd residue retention (RR) of both rice and wheat. Among the scenarios the NTDSR-NTW-RR one achieved the highest carbon management index across both the soil layers, indicating a reduced need for carbon management due to higher TOC  compared to the traditional system. They conclude that "reduced or no tillage combined with residue retention in RWS holds substantial potential for increasing carbon sequestration, reducing net GHG emissions, and lowering carbon footprints. Additionally, this practice offers an alternative to crop residue burning, a significant contributor to air pollution in the western IGP."

This 2-year on-station experiment from IARI, India looked at the impact of conventional (CT), CA and Organic (OA) on pigeonpea grown in a PP-wheat system. CA 1, 2 and 3 were on permanent narrow beds (PNB), broad beds (PBB) and flat (PFB), respectively. All 3 CA treatments performed better better than CT and OA for several parameters. CA2 had greater plant height and dry matter accumulation in both years. All CA treatments had better nodulation, nitrogen fixation and soil health. Yields were better in the 3 CA treatments with CA2 to highest compared to CT and OA. Cost of cultivation was a little higher in CA treatments than CT but gross returns were higher. They conclude that "CA enhances pigeonpea productivity and farmers' income in the upper and middle Gangetic plains of India.

This 10-year study from India compared 2 conventional tilled (CT) puddled transplanted rice followed by either CT wheat or NT wheat with 6 different NT Direct seeded (DSR) rice followed by NT wheat treatments. Details can be found in the abstract or full paper since two treatments also used Sesbania (brown manure) in the system and 2 used an additional mung bean crop. A summary of the results showed that the NT wheat treatments were better than the CT wheat but CT rice had a higher yield than DSR rice. The overall rice-wheat system also was better than the traditional system despite the lower rice yield. Soil fertility, SOC, soil health, GHG emissions, and profitability were better in the CA systems compared to the CT one. The recommended that more research is needed to control weeds, nutrient needs and water management to improve the DSR treatment.

This article looks at results from 147 peer reviewed studies from India's major agro-ecological and climatic regions to estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) changes due to Regenerative Agriculture (RA) practices.  RA practices included organic amendments (farmyard manure, green manure, compost, and biochar), no tillage, crop residue retention, and fertilizer management. Results show biochar provided the highest SOC gain. No-till and residue retention had moderate but consistent benefits over time. The most significant SOC gains occurred after 5 years. There was variation across agro-ecological regions, with semi-arid and sub-humid regions showing particularly strong responses. They conclude that RA practices effectively sequester carbon, particularly when applied over longer durations and in regionally adapted combinations.

This paper indicates that CA adoption in India is mostly in the irrigated IndoGangetic Plains and typically uses agrochemicals. This study explores the adoption of CA in a rainfed area of Central India  where farms are organic and look at the factors that led to adoption. Results showed that the variables that were important were farmers’ age, household size (a proxy for labour), extension frequency, farmer’s initiative-taking ability, farming experience, and market accessibility. The majority (90%) of the adopters indicated improvements in soil health, reduction in water use, and increases in yields and quality. They also indicated (80%) that CA led to lower costs, and higher incomes. However, biomass was an issue since farmers use the residues for cattle feed. The conclude that "To scale CA and produce food sustainably in rainfed areas, it is necessary to initiate supporting policy and institutional interventions that would improve extension, biomass production, and availability within the farming system.

Crop residue is crucial in CA management to improve soil health and increase yields. This paper from India looks at a residue cleaning system (T1) to help overcome the challenges of residues left after combine harvesting and included design, development and field testing. They first tested the equipment in a soil bin before testing in a field trial consisting of a wheat-greengram-maize cropping pattern and comparing with the Happy Seeder (T2) (an earlier equipment used for sowing into crop residue). T1 and T2 had similar yields but T1 required less energy although it slightly higher carbon emissions. They concluded that T1 had lower B/C ratio compared to T2 but increasing the number of rows in the T1 treatment could enhance field capacity, potentially reducing carbon emissions and improving economic returns.

This paper from India evaluated contrasting tillage and residue management in the rice wheat systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains to identify sustainable and energy efficient systems. Treatments include various triple cropping patters that include a legume, but also no-till wheat and rice that were compared with conventional  puddled rice and tillage wheat. NT systems had significantly lower operational energy for irrigation (∼40%), sowing (∼26%), and land preparation (100%) compared to a conventional-tillage (CT) system and also resulted in higher system yields, net energy returns, energy ratios, energy productivity and energy intensity. The authors conclude that the conventional system should be replaced with these more efficient and higher yielding NT + legume systems. 

This study from NW India using on-farm research explored how different duration's of CA (2, 4, 8, and 12 years) compared to conventional tillage (CT) on SOC, soil aggregation, and system productivity. Results showed that adopting 8-12 years of CA led significant increases in SOC in the topsoil (5cm) and 5-15cmand improved percentages of macroaggregates. But 8-12 years of CA resulted in20-25% reduction in soil inorganic carbon compared to CT. They conclude that enhancing SOC with long-term CA can improve climate-resilient wheat yields in NW India

This paper from Southern India assesses the impact of different tillage and weed management practices on soil nutrient stratification ratio (SR), carbon sequestration rate (CSR), carbon management indices (CMI), carbon retention efficiency (CRE) and monitor the grain yield of maize after three-years in CA with a cotton-maize-Sesbania cropping system. There are 3 tillage practices; CT cotton and maize, no sesbania = farmer practice; CT cotton- NT maize-ZT Sesbania; and NT for cotton, maize, and sesbania. 4 Weed treatments were herbicide, herbicide rotation, integrated weed management, and hand-weeded control. They conclude that NT plus residue retention and herbicide use would be a viable way to imporve soil health and imptove productivity of the cotton-maize-sesbania system.

This paper quantifies the Ecosystem Services from 13 years of using CA practices in a maize-wheat system in India. The treatments were conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage with planting on flat land with residue (ZR + R), permanent broad beds with residue (PBB + R), permanent narrow beds with residue (PNB + R). The CA-based practices recorded higher value of provisioning ES values as compared to CT. The highest economic value of regulating ES was observed under PBB + R, which was 61% higher than that of CT. PBB + R is a better management alternative for better TES while ensuring higher crop productivity than CT. The results can be used to formulate the payment for ecosystem scheme by policy makers.

Wheat has seen remarkable productivity gains in NW India through increased input use and intensive cultivation. But soil degradation indicates that this essential food security region of India is becoming less economic and sustainable. This paper looks at data from 3928 wheat fields and used to assess multiple sustainability indicators including yield gaps N-use efficiency, profitability, and GHG emissions. Stochastic frontier analysis was combined with simulated potential yield (Yp) data to identify the causes of wheat yield gaps in the region The most important management practices governing the field classification included the crop establishment method used for the previous rice crop, the number of tillage operations, residue retention, and the N fertilizer rate for wheat.