Book ChapterDOI
Conservation agriculture, improving soil quality for sustainable production systems?
Nele Verhulst,Bram Govaerts,Els Verachtert,A. Castellanos-Navarrete,Monica Mezzalama,Patrick C. Wall,A. Chocobar,Jozef Deckers,Ken D. Sayre +8 more
- pp 137-208
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TLDR
In this article, a comparative soil quality evaluation is performed in which the performance of the system is determined in relation to alternatives, and the results show that the effect of a reduction in tillage on the variation in total porosity with depth may be related to differences in traffic on different sites, or on soil quality at the time tillage was reduced or stopped.Abstract:
Conservation agriculture has been proposed as a widely adapted set of management principles that can assure more sustainable agricultural production. Conservation agriculture removes the emphasis from the tillage component alone and addresses a more enhanced concept of the complete agricultural system. Applying conservation agriculture essentially means altering literally generations of traditional farming practices and implement use. Within the framework of agricultural production, high soil quality equates to the ability of the soil to maintain a high productivity without significant soil or environmental degradation. A comparative soil quality evaluation is one in which the performance of the system is determined in relation to alternatives. Inconsistent effects of a reduction in tillage on the variation in total porosity with depth may be related to differences in traffic on different sites, or on soil quality at the time tillage was reduced or stopped.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Eleven Years' Effect of Conservation Practices for Temperate Sandy Loams: II. Soil Pore Characteristics
Book ChapterDOI
Management of emerging multinutrient deficiencies:A prerequisite for sustainable enhancement of rainfed agricultural productivity
TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of water shortage and associated stress cannot be overemphasized especially in the semi-arid and tropical regions of the world, especially in Semi-Arid and Tropical (SAT) regions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of maize residue and mineral nitrogen applications on maize yield in conservation-agriculture-based cropping systems of Southern Africa
Walter Mupangwa,Christian Thierfelder,Stephanie Cheesman,Isaiah Nyagumbo,Tarirai Muoni,Blessing Mhlanga,M. Mwila,Tesfaye Shiferaw Sida,A. Ngwira +8 more
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that mulching with maize residues in CA/NT systems results in limited maize yield gains – at least within the first 6 years in different agro-ecological conditions of southern Africa.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil properties after change to conservation agriculture from ridge tillage in sandy clay loams of mid-altitude Central Malawi
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study was carried out of annual ridge tillage (RT) and short-term effects of conservation agriculture (CA) on soil properties in fields of small-scale farmers, collected at depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm from a total of 12 fields which had been under CA for two and four seasons, respectively, and from adjacent RT fields for direct comparisons.
Free Fiber Level Drives Resilience and Hybrid Vigor in Energy Cane
TL;DR: In this paper, a new hybrid type with high fiber content can definitively upgrade the biomass agro-industry, due to both its higher resilience and heterosis for biomass productivity and other favorable characteristics, thus giving a valuable contribution to CO2 mitigation.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils
Judith. Tisdall,J.M. Oades +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the effectiveness of various binding agents at different stages in the structural organization of aggregates is described and forms the basis of a model which illustrates the architecture of an aggregate.
Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
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TL;DR: In this paper, soil organic carbon (SOC), biota, ionic bridging, clay and carbonates are associated with aggregation by rearrangement, flocculation and cementation.
Journal ArticleDOI
A history of research on the link between (micro)aggregates, soil biota, and soil organic matter dynamics
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Journal ArticleDOI
Environmental and Economic Costs of Soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits
David Pimentel,Celia A. Harvey,P. Resosudarmo,K. Sinclair,D. Kurz,M. McNair,S. Crist,L. Shpritz,L. Fitton,R. Saffouri,R. Blair +10 more
TL;DR: With the addition of a quarter of a million people each day, the world population's food demand is increasing at a time when per capita food productivity is beginning to decline.