Earthworm Population and Diversity Enhanced Under Conservation Management Practices in Intensified Rice-Fallow System of South Asia

IF 3.7 2区农林科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Land Degradation & Development Pub Date : 2025-09-22 DOI:10.1002/ldr.70203

Rakesh Kumar, Jaipal Singh Choudhary, Surajit Mondal, Janki Sharan Mishra, Govind Makarana, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Santosh Sambhaji Mali, Bal Krishna Jha, Ram Swaroop Meena, Ashis Kumar Biswas, Kumari Shubha, Ved Prakash, Anup Das, Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt, Suresh Kumar Chaudhari

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The study was conducted in eastern India's rainfed lowland rice-fallow ecosystems. It aimed to assess the impact of different crop establishment methods on system productivity, earthworm activity and diversity, and soil quality parameters for long-term sustainability. Three distinct crop establishment methods viz. zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR), conventional-till direct-seeded rice (CTDSR), and transplanted puddle rice (TPR), were employed in conjunction with various crop residue management strategies. The TPR and conventional tillage methods consistently outperformed ZTDSR in terms of grain yield and recorded a 28.9% and 15.4% higher grain yield than ZTDSR and CTDSR, respectively. However, TPR had a detrimental impact on the performance of all winter crops, resulting in a lower grain yield by 29% and 44% than CTDSR and ZTDSR, respectively. The incorporation of a legume or oilseed during the fallow period in the winter season in a rice-fallow system resulted in an increase in system productivity from 5.44 to 9.54 Mg ha⁻¹ (75% increase) demonstrating its potential to boost the food security of the region. Importantly, the study also quantified the critical role of conservation agriculture (CA) practices in enhancing soil health and earthworm activity. The CA-based production systems (CTDSR and ZTDSR) noted a 35.6%, 27.3%, 91.9%, and 73.4% higher earthworm casting, burrows count, total earthworm count, and biomass, respectively, over the TPR system. The TPR production system was associated with increased parameters of soil cracking, including length, width, depth, and volume compared to CA-based management systems. In conclusion, adopting CA-based practices and integrating short-duration pulses and legumes can enhance crop productivity, soil health, and earthworm populations, supporting food and nutritional security in India's rice-fallow regions and similar South Asian agro-ecotypes.

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南亚水稻集约化休耕系统保护管理措施下蚯蚓数量和多样性的提高

这项研究是在印度东部雨养的低地水稻休耕生态系统中进行的。旨在评估不同作物种植方式对系统生产力、蚯蚓活动和多样性以及土壤质量参数的长期可持续性的影响。采用零耕直播稻（ZTDSR）、常规耕直播稻（CTDSR）和移栽水坑稻（TPR）三种不同的作物建立方法，结合各种作物残留管理策略。TPR和常规耕作方式在粮食产量方面一直优于ZTDSR，分别比ZTDSR和CTDSR高28.9%和15.4%。然而，TPR对所有冬季作物的产量都有不利影响，其产量分别比CTDSR和ZTDSR低29%和44%。在水稻-休耕系统的冬季休耕期间种植豆类或油籽，使系统生产力从5.44 Mg ha - 1提高到9.54 Mg ha - 1（提高75%），显示出其促进该区域粮食安全的潜力。重要的是，该研究还量化了保护性农业（CA）实践在改善土壤健康和蚯蚓活动方面的关键作用。基于ca的生产系统（CTDSR和ZTDSR）的蚯蚓数量、洞数、总蚯蚓数量和生物量分别比TPR系统高35.6%、27.3%、91.9%和73.4%。与基于ca的管理系统相比，TPR生产系统与土壤开裂参数增加有关，包括长度、宽度、深度和体积。综上所述，采用基于ca的做法并整合短期豆类和豆类可以提高作物生产力、土壤健康和蚯蚓种群，支持印度水稻休耕地区和南亚类似农业生态型的粮食和营养安全。

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来源期刊

Land Degradation & Development 农林科学-环境科学

CiteScore

7.70

自引率

8.50%

发文量

379

审稿时长

5.5 months

期刊介绍： Land Degradation & Development is an international journal which seeks to promote rational study of the recognition, monitoring, control and rehabilitation of degradation in terrestrial environments. The journal focuses on: - what land degradation is; - what causes land degradation; - the impacts of land degradation - the scale of land degradation; - the history, current status or future trends of land degradation; - avoidance, mitigation and control of land degradation; - remedial actions to rehabilitate or restore degraded land; - sustainable land management.