Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Role of Soil Physical Properties in Soil Health Management and Crop Productivity in Rainfed Systems-I:Soil Physical Constraints and Scope


Affiliations
1 ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad 500 059, India
 

Soil physical degradation has become a serious problem in both rainfed and irrigated areas of India. According to an estimate, about 90 m ha area is experiencing soil physical constraint in the country. In rainfed regions, among several other constraints related to crop and climate, soil physical constraints are the key which severely limit crop productivity. The predominant soil constraints which are governed by the principles of soil physics include subsurface hard pan and compactness, crusting and hardening, slow and high permeability, non-optimal porosity, poor soil structure, poor water receptivity, retention and transmission, etc. It is now well-established that unless the soil physical environment is maintained at its optimum level, the genetic yield potential of a crop cannot be realized even when all the other requirements are fulfiled. The optimum soil physical environment creates a suitable condition for better crop production both in irrigated and rainfed regions. Rainfed agriculture, often referred to as dryland agriculture, is practiced in areas that are relatively warmer (arid, semi-arid) and dry sub-humid regions of the country. These regions are highly diverse, ranging from resource-rich areas with good agricultural potential to resource-constrained areas with a much more restricted potential. These regions represent a wide variety of soil types, agro-climatic and rainfall conditions. This article discusses the soil physical constraints in rainfed regions of India.

Keywords

Rainfed Agriculture, Soil Physical Properties, Soil Physical Constraints.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Abrol, I. P. and Katyal, J. C., Sealing, crusting and hardening soils in Indian agriculture. In Paper presented at the Second International Symposium on Sealing, Crusting and Hardening soils: Productivity and Constraints, Queensland, Australia, 7–11 February 1994.

  • Mayande, V. M. and Katyal, J. C., Low cost improved seeding implements for rainfed agriculture, Technical Bulletin 3, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, 1996, p. 26.

  • Singh, R. P., Dryland agriculture research in India. In 40 years of Agricultural Research and Education in India, Krishi Anusandhan Bhavan, New Delhi,1989, pp. 136–164.

  • Singh, H. P., Sharma, K. L., Venkateswarlu, B. and Neelaveni, K., Prospects of Indian agriculture with special reference to nutrient management under rainfed ecosystems. In National Workshop on Long-term Soil Fertility Management through Integrated Plant Nutrient Supply System, Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 2–4 April 1998.

  • Venkteswarlu, B. and Rama Rao, C. A., Rainfed agriculture: challenges of climate change. In Agriculture Year Book 2010, Agriculture Today, 2011, pp. 43–45.

  • Government of India, Agricultural statistics at a glance. Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, 1994, p. 140.

  • CRIDA, Vision 2025: CRIDA perspective plan. Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, 2007, pp. 1–52.

  • Singh, H. P., Venkateswarlu, B., Vittal, K. P. R. and Ramachandran, K., Management of rainfed agro-ecosystem. In Natural Resource Management for Agriculture Production in India (eds Yadav, J. S. P. and Singh, G. B.), Indian Society of Soil Science, New Delhi, 2000, pp. 669–774.

  • Rama Rao, C. A. et al., Climate change projections – a districtwise analysis for rainfed regions in India. J. Agrometeorol., 2013, 15 (Spec. Issue I), pp. 13–19.

  • Katyal, J. C. and John, F., Research for Rainfed Farming, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, 1997.

  • Painuli, D. K. and Yadav, R. P., Tillage requirements of Indian soils. In 50 Years of Natural Resource Management Research (eds Singh, G. B. and Sharma, B. R.), Division of Natural Resource Management, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 1998, pp. 245–262.

  • Singh, H. P., Management of the rainfed areas. In 50 years of Natural Resource Management Research (eds Singh, G. B. and Sharma, B. R.), Division of Natural Resource Management, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 1998, pp. 537–578.

  • Sharma, K. L., Mandal, B. and Venkateswarlu, B., Soil quality and productivity improvement under rainfed conditions – Indian perspectives. In Resource Management for Sustainable Agriculture (eds Abrol, V. and Sharma, P.), In European Union, Tech, Rijeka, Croatia, 2012, pp. 203–230; doi:10.5772/45870.

  • Bhattacharyya, T. et al., Soils of India: historical perspective, classification, and recent advances. Curr. Sci., 2013, 104, 1308–1323.

  • Bhattacharyya, T. et al., Physical and chemical properties of red and black soils of selected benchmark spots for carbon sequestration studies in semi-arid tropics of India. In Global Theme on Agroecosystems, Report No. 35, International Crops Research Institute for Semiarid Tropics, Patancheru and Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 2007, pp. 1–232.

  • Rao, C. S., Rao, K. V., Chary, G. R., Vittal, K. P. R., Sahrawat, K. L. and Sumanta, K., Water retention characteristics of various soil types under diverse rainfed production systems of India. Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. Dev., 2009, 24, 1–7.

  • Deshmukh, H. V., Chandran, P., Pal, D. K., Ray, S. K., Bhattacharyya, T. and Potdar, S. S., A pragmatic method to estimate plant available water capacity (PAWC) of rainfed cracking clay soils (Vertisols) of Maharashtra, Central India. Clay Res., 2014, 33, 1–14.

  • Raychaudhuri, S. P., Roy, B. B., Gupta, S. P. and Dewan, M. L., Black soils of India. National Institute of Science of India, 1963.

  • Ghildyal, B. P. and Gupta, R. P., Soil structure problem and management. Division of Soil Physics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 1991, p. 58.

  • Sivarajasingham, S., Alexander, L. T., Cady, J. G. and Cline, M. G., Laterite. Adv. Agron., 1962, 14, 1–60.

  • Agrawal, R. P. and Batra, M. L., Soil moisture and seedling emergence under surface crusting. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., 1977, 25, 77–80.

  • Sharma, D. P. and Agrawal, R. P., Seedling emergence behavior of bajra, cotton, and guar as affected by surface crust strength. Mysore J. Agric. Sci., 1979, 13, 400–404.

  • Ranganatha, B. R. and Satyanarayana, T., Soil crust and its effect on seedling emergence. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., 1979, 27, 369–374.

  • Singh, B. and Chowdhary, M. R., Effect of intensity, duration and time of rain and soil type on soil crusting and seedling emergence in pearl millet. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., 1985, 33,145–148.

  • Sinha, A. K. and Ghildyal, B. P., Emergence force of crop seedlings. Plant Soil, 1979, 51, 153–156.

  • Murthy, R. S., Bhattacharjee, J. C., Landey, R. J. and Pofali, R. M., Distribution, characteristics and classification of Vertisols. In Vertisols and Rice Soils of the Tropics, Twelfth International Congress of Soil Science, New Delhi, India, 8–16 February 1982, pp. 3–22.

  • Jewitt, T. N., Law, R. D. and Virgo, K. J., Vertisol soils of the tropics and subtropics: Their management and use. Outlook Agric., 1979, 10, 33–40.

  • Krantz, B. A., Kampen, J. and Virmani, S. M., Soil and water conservation and utilization for increased food production in the semiarid tropics. International Crops Research Institute for the SemiArid Tropics, Hyderabad, 1979.

  • Kadu, P. R., Vaidya, P. H., Balpande, S. S., Satyavathi, P. L. A. and Pal, D. K., Use of hydraulic conductivity to evaluate the suitability of Vertisols for deep-ischolar_mained crops in semi-arid parts of central India. Soil Use Manage., 2003, 13, 208–216.

  • Kadu, P. R., Pal, D. K. and Deshpande, S. B., Effect of low exchangeable sodium on hydraulic conductivity and drainage in shrink–swell soils of Purna Valley, Maharashtra. Clay Res., 1993, 12, 65–70.

  • Balpande, S. S., Deshpande, S. B. and Pal, D. K., Factors and processes of soil degradation in Vertisols of the Purna Valley, Maharahstra, India. Land Degrad. Dev., 1996, 7, 313–324.

  • Velayutham, M., Pal, D. K. and Bhattacharyya, T., Organic carbon stock in Indian soil. In Global Climate Change and Tropical Ecosystems – Advances in Soil Science (eds Lal, R., Kimble, J. M. and Stewart, B. A.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA 2000, pp. 71–95.

  • Painuli, D. K. and Pagliai, M., Changes in porosity of three different soils induced by water infiltration. J. Indian Soc. Soil Sci., 1996, 44, 361–364.


Abstract Views: 451

PDF Views: 146




  • Role of Soil Physical Properties in Soil Health Management and Crop Productivity in Rainfed Systems-I:Soil Physical Constraints and Scope

Abstract Views: 451  |  PDF Views: 146

Authors

A. K. Indoria
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad 500 059, India
K. L. Sharma
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad 500 059, India
K. Sammi Reddy
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad 500 059, India
Srinivasa Rao
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad 500 059, India

Abstract


Soil physical degradation has become a serious problem in both rainfed and irrigated areas of India. According to an estimate, about 90 m ha area is experiencing soil physical constraint in the country. In rainfed regions, among several other constraints related to crop and climate, soil physical constraints are the key which severely limit crop productivity. The predominant soil constraints which are governed by the principles of soil physics include subsurface hard pan and compactness, crusting and hardening, slow and high permeability, non-optimal porosity, poor soil structure, poor water receptivity, retention and transmission, etc. It is now well-established that unless the soil physical environment is maintained at its optimum level, the genetic yield potential of a crop cannot be realized even when all the other requirements are fulfiled. The optimum soil physical environment creates a suitable condition for better crop production both in irrigated and rainfed regions. Rainfed agriculture, often referred to as dryland agriculture, is practiced in areas that are relatively warmer (arid, semi-arid) and dry sub-humid regions of the country. These regions are highly diverse, ranging from resource-rich areas with good agricultural potential to resource-constrained areas with a much more restricted potential. These regions represent a wide variety of soil types, agro-climatic and rainfall conditions. This article discusses the soil physical constraints in rainfed regions of India.

Keywords


Rainfed Agriculture, Soil Physical Properties, Soil Physical Constraints.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv112%2Fi12%2F2405-2414