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Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Biosciences (IJPAB)
Year : 2020, Volume : 8, Issue : 5
First page : (539) Last page : (552)
Article doi: : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2582-2845.8375

A Review: Impact of Long Term Zero Tillage on Hydrological Properties of Soils

Mamta Phogat*, Rita Dahiya, P.S. Sangwan and Vishal Goyal
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125004
*Corresponding Author E-mail: mamtaphogat@hau.ac.in
Received: 4.08.2020 | Revised: 7.09.2020 | Accepted: 12.09.2020 

 ABSTRACT

Zero tillage has the ability to enhance the soil's hydrological properties in the long run. It is the most critical aspect of agriculture for conservation. The need for an hour is conservation farming. It is a win-win operation for farmers as well as for the environment. Although green revolution technologies introduced in the country during 1966-67 led to food security, intensive cultivation, inadequate and imbalanced use of fertilisers, high yielding crop varieties, the use of heavy machinery, excess tillage, etc., for more than five decades resulted in deterioration of soil health and quality and altered the physical matrix and thus hydrological properties. There is a great lack of a systematic approach to linking tillage practises to soil hydrological properties. Soil hydrological characteristics are highly affected by management practises. Tillage aimed to create a soil environment favourable to plant growth on a short-term basis, but noted negative effects on soil properties, structure and ultimately hydrological properties of soils on a long-term basis. Keeping all of these under consideration, this analysis is compiled to create a perfect tillage scheme, i.e. zero tillage, which eliminates the adverse effects of tillage and retains soil resources and eventually contributes to sustainable agriculture. The influence on soil hydrological characteristics, however, depends on the site-specific biophysical environment, such as soil texture, prevailing climate variations, site characteristics, adoption period, and seasonal rainfall variability.

Keywords: Conventional tillage, Zero tillage, Sustainable agriculture, Soil moisture.

Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782

Cite this article: Phogat, M., Dahiya, R., Sangwan, P. S., & Goyal, V. (2020). A Review: Impact of Long Term Zero Tillage on Hydrological Properties of Soils, Ind. J. Pure App. Biosci. 8(5), 539-552. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2582-2845.8375