Soil organic carbon stock variability in the Northern Gangetic Plains of India: interaction between agro‐ecological characteristics and cropping systems

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content and its spatial distribution in the Northern Gangetic Plain (NGP) Zone of India were determined to establish the cause–effect relationship between agro‐ecological characteristics, prevailing crop management practices and SOC stock. Area Spread Index (ASI) approach was used to collect soil samples from the NGP areas supporting predominant cropping systems. Exponential ordinary kriging was found most suitable geo‐statistical model for developing SOC surface maps of the NGP. Predicted surface maps indicated that 43.7% area of NGP had 0.5–0.6% SOC, while the rest of the area was equally distributed with high (0.61–0.75%) and low (< 0.5%) SOC content levels. Averaged across cropping systems, maximum SOC content was recorded in Bhabar and Tarai Zone (BTZ), followed by Central Plain Zone (CPZ), Mid‐Western Plain Zone (MWPZ), Western Plain Zone (WPZ) and South‐Western Plain Zone (SWPZ) of the NGP. The SOC stock was above the optimum threshold (> 12.5 Mg/ha) in 97.8, 57.6 and 46.4% areas of BTZ, CPZ and MWPZ, respectively. Only 9.8 and 0.4% area of WPZ and SWPZ, respectively, had SOC stock above the threshold value. The variation in SOC stock was attributed largely to carbon addition through recycling of organic sources, cropping systems, tillage intensity, crop or residue cover and land‐use efficiency, nutrient‐use pattern, soil texture and prevailing ecosystem. Adoption of conservation agriculture, balanced use of nutrients, inclusion of legumes in cropping systems and agro‐forestry were suggested for enhancing SOC stock in the region.     

Multiple watershed alterations influence fish community structure in Great Plains prairie streams

Stream fish distributions are commonly linked to environmental disturbances affecting terrestrial landscapes. In Great Plains prairie streams, the independent and interactive effects of watershed impoundments and land cover changes remain poorly understood despite their prevalence and assumed contribution to declining stream fish diversity. We used structural equation models and fish community samples from third‐order streams in the Kansas River and Arkansas River basins of Kansas, USA to test the simultaneous effects of geographic location, terrestrial landscape alteration, watershed impoundments and local habitat on species richness for stream‐associated and impoundment‐associated habitat guilds. Watershed impoundment density increased from west to east in both basins, while per cent altered terrestrial landscape (urbanisation + row‐crop agriculture) averaged ~50% in the west, declined throughout the Flint Hills ecoregion and increased (Kansas River basin ~80%) or decreased (Arkansas River basin ~30%) to the east. Geographic location had the strongest effect on richness for both guilds across basins, supporting known zoogeography patterns. In addition to location, impoundment species richness was positively correlated with local habitat in both basins; whereas stream‐species richness was negatively correlated with landscape alterations (Kansas River basin) or landscape alterations and watershed impoundments (Arkansas River basin). These findings suggest that convergences in the relative proportions of impoundment and stream species (i.e., community structure) in the eastern extent of both basins are related to positive effects of increased habitat opportunities for impoundment species and negative effects caused by landscape alterations (Kansas River basin) or landscape alterations plus watershed impoundments (Arkansas River basin) for stream species.     

中原经济区建设中农村人口有序转移的政府责任研究

以当前国家主体功能区划分背景下中原经济区建设为背景,在对中原经济区建设中农村人口有序转移进行研究的基础上,提出了各级政府部门推动农村人口有序转移的对策建议。     

Geomorphology, pedology and sedimentology of the Deoha/Ganga–Ghaghara Interfluve, Upper Gangetic Plains (Himalayan Foreland Basin) — Extensional tectonic implications

Regional mapping of soils helped to identify and map 24 soil-geomorphic units on the Deoha/Ganga–Ghaghara Interfluve in the Upper Gangetic Plains (Himalayan Foreland Basin). On the basis of luminescence ages soil-geomorphic units can be grouped into five members of a Morphostratigraphic Sequence with ages of ≤ 1.7 ka, 1.8–3.6 ka, 4.6–6.4 ka, 6.8–10 ka and > 10 ka. Except for two units with sandy parent material, all the members with loamy parent materials show systematic increase in the degree of soil development from Member QGMS-I to V. Major pedogenic processes are salinization, alkalinization, illuviation, calcrete development and gleying, and degradation of some micromorphological features is observed in the oldest soils.Regional mapping and dating of soils show that the Interfluve between the Deoha/Ganga–Ghaghara rivers is bounded by longitudinal faults, along the bounding rivers. The major longitudinal faults trend N–S or NNE–SSW in the northern region; turn N–S in the central region and take easterly to SEE direction in the south, giving the Interfluve a curvilinear shape. Strike of a set of six transverse extensional normal faults changes from approximately E–W to NEE–SWW in the southernmost region of the Interfluve. Downthrown sides are to the south and to the east in northern region and western region, respectively.Due to the activity of different segments of various transverse faults during a probably dry sub-humid to semi-arid climatic period of 10–5 ka, terminal fans were deposited on the downthrown blocks. Thus, role of extensional tectonics in an overall compressional regime is significant. Also, tilting of smaller blocks leading to the shifting away of large rivers seems to be an additional control on the distribution of soils and sedimentation on the Interfluve.     

Cropping systems and crop residue management in the Trans-Gangetic Plains: Issues and challenges for conservation agriculture from village surveys

Conservation agriculture practices are being advocated to help sustain crop productivity gains and secure environmental sustainability in the Trans-Gangetic Plains, India’s Green Revolution heartland. The paper illustrates the use of village surveys as a quasi-quantitative system analysis tool to derive implications for agricultural research and development. Drawing from village surveys in 170 communities, the paper assesses current crop residue management practices in Punjab and Haryana’s rice-wheat, basmati-wheat and non-rice-wheat cropping systems. The prevalence of wheat as the winter crop implies an intensive collection, trading and use of wheat straw as basal feed for dairy livestock; which contrasts with the diverse crop residue management of the monsoon crops. The increased use of combine harvesters has spurred the rapid advent of mechanical wheat straw reapers whereas the bulk of combine harvested rice straw is burned in situ. Present crop residue management practices are largely incompatible with year-round mulch retention despite significant biomass production. The research and development community faces the challenge of evening out straw use and management over seasons to ensure at least partial residue retention if its calls for conservation agriculture in this important sub-region are to succeed. The paper also reiterates the worrying decline of groundwater tables associated with the rice-wheat system.     

河北省中部平原土壤速效钾和缓效钾的分析与评价

以河北省中部平原的8个县为研究对象,主要采用空间分析法分析了2010年的20 938个土壤样品的速效钾和缓效钾数据。按照第二次土壤普查分级标准分等,河北中部平原7个县土壤速效钾平均含量处于中等水平,1个县处于高等水平;土壤缓效钾平均含量5个县处于中等水平,3个县为高等水平。将数据按照第二次普查养分指标分级进行空间分析,速效钾中等级别以上的面积统计为200 768 hm2,所占比例为77%;缓效钾中等级别以上的面积统计为228 165 hm2,所占比例为88%,表明土壤速效钾和缓效钾的含量均提高。同时表明第二次土壤普查的分级标准已经不适应土壤现状,应综合土壤养分值、生产需求等综合因素制定新的养分标准。     

Shifts in Cropping System and Its Effect on Human Nutrition: Case Study from India

SUMMARY

More than twenty cropping systems are practiced in India. Rice-wheat and rice-rice are the major cropping systems practiced in an estimated 120 districts and 50 districts of the country, respectively. The rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) region of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan) is the creation of the agricultural green revolution. Higher production of rice and wheat was necessary to meet the calorie needs of an increasing population in this region; as a result, the percent of malnutrition amongst children and adults decreased during the green revolution era. However, in recent years, there has been a reduction in both the rate of malnutrition decline and of the partial and total factor productivity of the RWCS in India. One of the many reasons for the decreased rate of malnutrition decline is micronutrient deficiency. Malnutrition amongst children and adults is a silent emergency in South Asia, including India. This review compares the food consumption habits, nutritional status, and cropping system practiced for different states of India to provide reasons for shifting the rice-wheat cropping system through crop diversification. Diversification of the RWCS will increase the supply of legumes and vegetables, help to diversify the diets consumed, and increase micronutrient intake. This approach is important for a largely vegetarian population of India, and is therefore, considered to be one of several important Food Systems strategy to address the silent emergency of malnutrition in the region.     

Enhancing Productivity of Rice-Wheat System Through Integrated Crop Management in the Eastern-Gangetic Plains of South Asia

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sariva)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation is the major production system in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia and mid hills and is important for the food security of the region. The productivity and profitability of the rice-wheat system are very low mainly because of inappropriate nutrient input and poor crop management practices. Field experiments were conducted in 21 farmers' fields in Bara and Parsa districts in the Eastern-Gangetic plains of Nepal from May 1999 to April 2002 to evaluate site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) and integrated crop management (ICM) for improving rice-wheat productivity and profitability. Soil nutrient-supplying capacity (based on omission plot method) varied largely among farmers' fields. Rice soil had a higher N, P, and K-supplying capacity (35–76, 8–17, and 63–98 kg ha¹, compared with wheat (16–41, 6–12, and 20–104 kg ha¹, respectively). Both SSNM and ICM strategies significantly improved the grain yields of rice and wheat. Overall yield increment by ICM over farmers' practice (FP) reached up to 2.3 Mg ha¹ (66%) in rice and 2.3 Mg ha¹ (87%) in wheat, suggesting that there is a large potential for increasing rice and wheat yields in Nepal. Yield gap 1 (maximum attainable yieldaverage yield in ICM) was 1.3 to 1.4 Mg ha¹ for rice and 0.3 to 1.0 Mg ha¹ for wheat. While yield gap 2 (maximum attainable yieldaverage yield in FP) ranged from 2.8 to 3.5 Mg ha-1 for rice and 2.3 to 2.8 Mg ha-1 for wheat. Rice N-use efficiencies increased up to 50% and 70% with SSNM and ICM, respectively, over FP. In wheat, N-use efficiency increased up to 46% by ICM over SSNM. The net profit gained by applying ICM over FP was higher in wheat (US$ 217) than in rice (US$ 73). The findings suggest the urgent need to develop an effective program for wider dissemination of ICM technology in the Eastern-Gangetic plains.     

Factors determining the adoption of laser land leveling in the irrigated rice–wheat system in Haryana,India

Laser land leveling has been increasingly adopted in the irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system in the state of Haryana (India), located in the north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains. Still, many farmers have applied it to only a fraction of their land. In this study, we used data collected from 621 farm households in Haryana and applied a double-hurdle model for assessing the factors that determine the adoption and intensity of laser-leveling technology. The results show that large land holders are more likely to laser level their farm land; however, we found a negative association between land holdings and the proportion of laser-leveled land. Information about technology through farmer-to-farmer communication and through private traders, participation in agricultural training and membership in local agricultural institutions increased both the likelihood and the intensity of adoption. Our findings call for a closer collaboration among the various stakeholders, specifically to promote farmer-to-farmer communication through increased participation in local institutions and increase the rate of adoption of laser leveling technology.     

Response of mountain plovers to plague-driven dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies

Sylvatic plague is a major factor influencing the dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in the western Great Plains. We studied the nesting response of the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), a grassland bird that nests on prairie dog colonies, to plague-driven dynamics of prairie dog colonies at three sites in the western Great Plains. First, we examined plover nest distribution on colonies that were previously affected by plague, but that had been recovering (expanding) for at least 6 years. Plovers consistently nested in both young (colonized in the past 1–2 years) and old (colonized for 6 or more years) portions of prairie dog colonies in proportion to their availability. Second, we examined changes in plover nest frequency at two sites following plague epizootics, and found that mountain plover nest numbers declined relatively rapidly (≤2 years) on plague-affected colonies. Taken together, our findings indicate that available plover nesting habitat associated with prairie dog colonies closely tracks the area actively occupied by prairie dogs each year. Given the presence of plague throughout most of the mountain plover’s breeding range in the western Great Plains, important factors affecting plover populations likely include landscape features that determine the scale of plague outbreaks, the distance that plovers move in response to changing breeding habitat conditions, and the availability and quality of alternate breeding habitat within the landscape.