This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the realization of improved rainfed agriculture yield in semi-arid and dry land areas. The incentive of watershed programs is to increase the return on investment with over 20% for 65% of the projects that are currently underperforming. Besides techniques to improve the livelihood of the many small-scale farmers in developing countries, it includes examples and case studies for further support. The methods discussed have recently shown to be successful and economically remunerative in India and in various African countries. Intended for professionals (investors, policy makers), researchers and (post) graduate students working on dry land and sustainable agriculture and water and natural resources management. Suited for courses in dry land agriculture, soil and water management and watershed development.

Integrated Watershed Management in Rainfed Agriculture

Subsistence agriculture under rainfed conditions and declining or stagnant yields on irrigated farmland has raised concerns about resource management and long-term sustainability in the subtropical, semiarid region of India Soil quality assessment has been recognized as an important step toward understanding the effects of land management practices within an agricultural watershed This study addressed the spatial variability of soil properties and their quality at the watershed level using geostatistical methods Soil samples from the 0- to 20-cm depth were collected from 118 locations on a 100- by 100-m grid across an 88-ha watershed at Sakaliseripalli village in the Nalgonda District in Andhra Pradesh State, India Geostatistical analysis showed that most of the soil parameters were moderately spatially dependent An assessment framework, including a minimum data set, linear scoring technique, and additive indices, was used to evaluate the soil quality index (SQI) Principal component analysis identified cation exchange capacity, exchangeable Na percentage, DTPA-extractable Zn, available P, available water, and dehydrogenase activity as the most important indicators for evaluating soil quality A kriged map of SQI was prepared for the watershed The SQI was higher in irrigated systems (301) than under rainfed conditions (253), and it was 261 and 253 in fallow and permanent fallow fields, respectively In this study, potential soil loss calculated using the Universal Soil Loss Equation and crop yield were identified as the quantifiable management goals; the results indicated that good soils having higher soil quality indices were also productive and less erosion prone

Assessing Soil Quality in a Semiarid Tropical Watershed Using a Geographic Information System

This study aimed at documenting the culturable methylotrophic bacterial diversity across different groundnut genotypes and evaluating their effect on the growth of groundnut. 80 methylotrophic bacterial isolates were obtained from the phyllosphere of 15 groundnut genotypes collected from Tamil Nadu, India. The bacterial isolates were identified through sequencing of the 16S rDNA and were tested for their plant growth-promoting properties. Groundnut seeds were inoculated with methylotrophic bacteria and their effect on growth was evaluated via in vitro and pot experiments. Molecular identification revealed that the isolates belonged to 30 different species. A higher diversity of methylotrophic bacteria at genus and species level was found in groundnut genotype TMV2. Shannon diversity index was the highest in genotype TMV7, followed by VRI2 and TMV2. Similarly, geographical location also influenced the diversity of methylotrophic bacteria. In vitro seed germination assay revealed that methylotrophic isolates enhanced root growth and improved formation of root hair. The radicle length of treated seeds ranged from 2.7 to 8.4 cm. A higher shoot length was observed in the plants from seeds treated with Methylobacterium radiotolerans VRI8-A4 (27.3 cm), followed by Pseudomonas psychrotolerans TMV13-A1 (26.3 cm) and Bacillus aryabhattai K-CO3-3 (23 cm). The findings of this study strongly suggest that beneficial methylotrophic bacteria associated with the phyllosphere of groundnut play a major role in regulating plant growth.

Diversity of culturable methylotrophic bacteria in different genotypes of groundnut and their potential for plant growth promotion.

Soil, water, vegetation, and production systems constitute the most important natural
resources in an agroecosystem. In the rainfed production systems, the importance of
water shortage and associated stress cannot be overemphasized especially in the semiarid
tropical (SAT) regions (Pathak et al., 2009; Passioura and Angus 2010; Rockstrom
et al., 2010; Sahrawat et al., 2010a; Sharma et al., 2010). However, apart from
water shortage, soil infertility is also the issue for crop production and productivity
enhancement

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Management of emerging multinutrient deficiencies:A prerequisite for sustainable enhancement of rainfed agricultural productivity

Rainwater-use efficiency of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.)) under different conservation measures in the high hills of south India

Rainfed agriculture encounters several constraints on account of climatic, edaphic, and social factors. Out of the 97 million farm holdings, about 76% come under marginal and small categories. The productivity levels of these areas have remained lower across years because of frequent droughts occurring due to high variability in the quantum and distribution of rainfall, poor soil health, low fertilizer use, imbalanced fertilization, small farm size and poor mechanization, poor socio-economic conditions and low risk-bearing capacity, low credit availability and infrastructure constraints. Consequently, farmers are distracted from agriculture and tend to migrate to cities to look for alternative jobs. Hence, there is a great need to increase the productivity of rainfed crops and overall net returns to keep the farmers in agriculture. A paradigm shift in rainfed agriculture can be expected through technological thrusts and policy changes. The strategies that need to be emphasized include: (i) land care and s...

K. D. Sharma

Papers

Strategies for Improving the Productivity of Rainfed Farms in India with Special Emphasis on Soil Quality Improvement