ABSTRACT
Intensive soil tillage, burning of crop residues and over use of fertilizer and irrigation water under current agricultural practices has accelerated the pace of degradation in Indian agriculture. Intensive soil tillage increases soil erosion and nutrient runoff into nearby waterways. Carbon footprint is a measure of the total emission of greenhouse gases in carbon equivalents from a product across its life cycle from the production of raw material used in its manufacture, to disposal of the finished product. The loss of carbon is maximum in tropical and subtropical regions because of high atmospheric temperature. A soil disturbance due to tillage is the dominant factor reducing soil carbon stabilization within micro-aggregates in the soil. Carbon emissions depend on numerous factors like soil properties, tractor size, implement used, depth of tillage and quantity of fuel used.
