ABSTRACT

Agriculture, the dynamic system governed by several biotic and abiotic factors, needs to be sustained. Residue management along with conservation agriculture is the best direction of farming community rather than a destination. The conservation agriculture-based resource conservation technologies practiced over an estimated 100 M ha area worldwide and across a variety of climatic, soil and geographic zones, have proved to be energy and input efficient, besides addressing the emerging environment and soil health problems. Bed-planting is widely adopted in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, proved to be a successful conservation technology. No tillage or minimum tillage involves the use of a tillage implement that creates a narrow slot for the seed and does not disturb or turn over the soil in the process of planting the crop. Crop residues are also important source of nutrients and maintain or enhance soil chemical, physical and biological properties and prevent land degradation.