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Journal article
Reversing negative nitrogen balances in intensive rice-based cropping with Conservation Agriculture
Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems, Vol.130, pp.281-298
2025
Abstract
The extent to which Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices alter nitrogen (N) balance in intensive rice-based cropping systems of the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain was examined, focusing on a legume dominated-system (LDS) and a cereal dominated-system (CDS) in north-west Bangladesh. Three crop establishment methods were imposed—strip planting (SP) and bed planting (BP) for non rice crops with non-puddled rice establishment; compared with conventional tillage (CT) for non rice crops along with puddled transplanting of rice. Two levels of crop residue retention were superimposed—high (HR) and low (LR - conventional farm practice) crop residue retention. The CA practices (SP and non-puddled rice with HR) increased total soil N concentrations, and the soil N-stocks at 0–0.075 m over CT and LR in both CDS and LDS sites after 2.5 years. At 0–0.15 m soil depth, total soil N concentrations increased over time under SP and BP, but decreased with CT. In LDS, annual soil N increase (65 kg N ha −1 ) occurred with SP while negligible N losses were observed under CT at both levels of residue retention at 0–0.15 m soil depth. The N accumulation rate under HR was 24.5 kg N ha −1 higher than LR. The N balance calculation over 2.5 years indicated an estimated soil N gain (8–11%) in SPHR and SPLR but a loss in CT. In CDS, neither treatments accumulated soil N but N losses were greater in CT. The effect of crop establishment methods on soil NH₄-N and NO₃-N at the early growth stage of cool dry season cropping was small and inconsistent. However, SP with HR maintained higher overall crop and system N uptake compared to CT and LR. Thus, CA practices altered the N balance which slowed the decline in soil N-stocks in the cereal-dominated rotation while resulting in a positive N balance in the legume-dominated rotation.
Details
- Title
- Reversing negative nitrogen balances in intensive rice-based cropping with Conservation Agriculture
- Authors/Creators
- Md. Ariful Islam - Murdoch UniversityRichard W. Bell - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming SystemsChris Johansen - Murdoch UniversityM. Jahiruddin - Bangladesh Agricultural UniversityMd. Enamul Haque - Murdoch UniversityWendy Vance - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Publication Details
- Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems, Vol.130, pp.281-298
- Publisher
- Springer
- Number of pages
- 18
- Grant note
- Murdoch University: LWR 2005/001 Australian Centre for International Agricultural ResearchJohn Allwright Fellowship
This research work was financially supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (Project LWR 2005/001) and a John Allwright Fellowship to the first author. We also thank to Md. Abdul Quddus Gazi and Md. Neaz Mehedi Philips for their assistance in collecting soil samples from the experimental field. I am extremely grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback, which has greatly improved the manuscript.
- Identifiers
- 991005743943407891
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems; School of Agricultural Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.45 Soil Science
- 3.45.112 Soil Carbon Dynamics
- Web Of Science research areas
- Soil Science
- ESI research areas
- Agricultural Sciences