Crop residue management to reduce GHG emissions and weed infestation in Central India through mechanized farm operations

Abstract

Crop residue burning is a major issue in farmers’ fields of Indo-Gangetic Plain and Central India. It emits air pollutants and GHGs into the atmosphere, adversely affects soil, crop yields, human health and the environment. Weed infestation is also a major problem and affects overall crop yield. Therefore, a 2-year farm experiment was conducted at farmers’ fields with three treatments – current farmers’ practice (FP), conservation agriculture with improved weed management (CAW) and conservation agriculture without any weed management (CA) – from kharif (monsoon) 2017 to summer 2019 to manage crop residue and weeds. A happy seeder and tractor-operated boom sprayer were also introduced in CA and CAW. Total 51 t of crop residue was generated from 2 ha of rice-wheat-greengram cultivation area. In FP this crop residue was burned, but it was utilized as mulch in CA and CAW, thus, emission of 34,400 kg CO2e was avoided and energy potential of 100.1 × 104 MJ was created. The CAW produced percent higher crop yield of 21, 22.5 and 44.4%in first year and 20.6, 20 and 30% in second year of crop cycle respectively in rice (4.6 & 4.1 t ha−1), wheat (4.9 & 4.1 t ha−1) and greengram (1.3 & 1.3 t ha−1).

Keywords

• crop residue
• happy seeder
• greenhouse gases
• tep
• weed control efficiency