Conservation Tillage: A Farming Practice to Conserve Soil in India

Table of Content

• Introduction
• What is Conservation Tillage
• Popular Conservation Tillage Practices in India
  • No-Till (Zero-Till)
  • Minimum Tillage
  • Mulch Tillage
  • Reduced Tillage
• Advantages of Conservation Tillage
• Challenges to Conservation Tillage in India
• Final Thoughts

Introduction

Various land cultivation practices are used in India. Conservation tillage, along with traditional methods, is becoming more active nowadays. It is an effective method for conserving soil, generating large yields, and promoting agriculture's sustainability. It is seen as an alternative to burning wheat stubble after harvesting.

This blog explains the meaning of conservation tillage, its types, advantages, and challenges to conservation tillage.

What is conservation tillage?

Conservation tillage is a land cultivation technique that uses residues from last crops to reduce soil erosion. The leftovers can be corn stalks or any other crop stalk. They are used to cover the farmland before and after the planting of a new crop. Simultaneously, organic residues are also used to cover at least 30% of the entire planted region. It effectively controls erosion compared to chemical technologies and contributes to water conservation in semi-arid and sub-humid areas.

Popular Conservation Tillage Practices in India

The popular conservation tillage methods widely used in India are no-tillage, minimum tillage, mulch tillage, and reduced tillage. Let's discuss each of them one by one:

No-Till (Zero-Till)

It is the extreme form of minimum tillage that entirely eliminates soil disturbance. In this method, the plant seeds are planted directly into the untilled soil without using ploughing or conventional seedbed preparation methods.

Minimum Tillage

This conservation tillage approach keeps things straightforward. In place of digging the whole land, the soil is only disturbed where the seeds are sown, leaving the rest of the soil.

Mulch Tillage

It is the practice of leaving crop waste on the land after harvesting. The crop residues act as a shield for the soil, protecting it from extreme temperatures and other erosive forces. Additionally, the decomposition of crop residues enriches the soil nutrients and improves its fertility.

Reduced Tillage

It is a middle-ground approach that aims to provide a balance between soil conservation and farming practicalities. This process minimises the number of tillage operations while ensuring proper placement of the seeds.

Advantages of Conservation Tillage

The conservation tillage practice is quite popular today because it has many advantages. Some benefits of conservation tillage are listed below:

• Prevention of Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is a common problem for agriculture and food production in India. Conservation tillage is an ideal solution to tackle this issue.

The process minimises land disturbance, resulting in soil conservation. Thus, it maintains the soil quality in the long run.

• Conservation of Water

The Conservation tillage method improves water infiltration by causing minimum runoff. It benefits a country with many areas facing water scarcity.

Keeping a more intact soil structure helps improve the soil's water retention capacity and reduces the impact of droughts and erratic rainfall patterns.

• Improved Soil Fertility

A mulch tillage approach leaves the plants' leftovers on the agriculture field. The leftovers decompose with time, improving the soil's fertility and crop production.

Following this approach is beneficial for the land and ultimately helps farmers by minimising the use of chemical fertilisers and maintaining the farm's sustainability.

• Economic Advantages

Following the conservation tillage approach helps farmers save money. It uses less machinery, and labour, making it an affordable choice.

This change boosts sustainability and has a positive effect on the environment and farmers' financial health.

Challenges to Conservation Tillage in India

• Convincing farmers to practice conservation tillage is difficult because of embedded beliefs and resistance to change.
• The lack of access to the best implements for conservation tillage for farmers living in remote areas is another challenge.
• Limited awareness and lack of knowledge about the benefits of the conservation tillage approach make it hard for farmers to follow this agricultural practice.
• The high cost of the conservation tillage implements is another barrier to following the conservation tillage approach.

Final Thoughts

Conservation tillage is a trustable farming technique which takes care of the most important component of agriculture, which is soil. Choosing conservation tillage ensures food security and environmental sustainability and supports the finances of the farming community. In the modern concept of tillage, conservation tillage stands out as the best approach for a bright future for the Indian farming sector.