Sustainable Intensification of Major Crops in Resource Poor Semi-arid Tropics

Dear Colleagues,

In a changing world, soil health deterioration and waste of resources are the primary concerns to mankind for sustainable agriculture. Changes in climate over a period of time in the form of extremities are, again, making the situation more complex and to achieve food and nutritional security of most of the developing countries. The recent approaches/practices that include resource conservation technologies (RCT) through conservation agriculture, climate resilient agriculture, climate smart crops, and cropping systems, an integrated farming system (IFS) have emerged as promising avenues for sustainable intensification of crops in semi-arid tropics. Ecologically sound, economically feasible, and sustainable adoption technologies were developed in different parts of the world. The practices that were favor loss of soil carbon and unscientific way of crop management practices leads to decline in soil fertility. To achieve sustainable agricultural productivity, proper soil and crop management are crucial under the changing climate conditions. Soil, water, and crop management practices, such as conservation agriculture, zero tillage, residue retention, crop diversification for enhancing soil organic carbon and judicious water use need to be popularized among the farmers. Recent developments in the water and nutrient management on cropping system mode were associated with the climate change which impacts on the long-term interactions between crops and climate. Resource-starved semi-arid tropics (including many Asian countries) are most vulnerable to climate change leading to land degradation, ground water depletion, change in sowing window and risk of significant decline in crop yield. Therefore, sustainable crop production in a system mode should be maintained by improving soil health through enhancing soil carbon content, improving soil fertility, and devising better resource management options.

This Special Issue is intended as an interdisciplinary collection of research papers and applications of original concepts developed to support sustainable intensification of different cropping systems to the challenges of climate change. We welcome papers covering diverse areas, such as:

• Soil, crop, and water management through RCTs in semi-arid tropics;
• Sustainable wheat, rice, maize, sorghum production systems including intensive cropping, precision agriculture, etc.;
• Improved tillage practices and resource conservation options;
• Soil health improvement for intensive cropping systems in semi-arid tropics;
• Field based studies covering soil health issues and their sustainable resource management in a system mode;
• Improved resource use efficiency under different cropping systems;
• Climate change impact on resource management;
• Water and carbon footprints for sustainable intensification of cropping systems;
• Improved production technologies for cereal and pulses and oilseeds based cropping systems;
• Potential cultivars for soils under climate vulnerable ecosystems, etc.;
• Recent approaches to evaluate sustainable intensification of cropping systems;
• Improved practices to enhance renewable resources in a cropping system mode;
• Adoption of integrated farming system approach for sustainable agriculture;
• Sustainable management of biomass waste including recent technological and ecological approaches.

Dr. Sangu Angadi
Prof. Dr. Gadi V. P. Reddy
Dr. B.K. Desai
Dr. M.R. Umesh
Guest Editors

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• cropping intensity
• sustainability
• intensification
• resource use efficiency
• water use efficiency
• sustainable yield index
• conservation agriculture
• reduced and zero tillage
• mulching
• soil and water conservation