Sustainable agricultural practices involve a variety of approaches. The most important approached for sustainable agriculture development is crop diversification. It allowing the farmers to employ biological cycles to minimize inputs, conserve the resource base, maximize yields and also reduce the risk due to ecological and environmental factors. It serves as an important opportunity to augment income and employment generation for rural communities. Crop diversification promotes the interaction of beneficial soil bacteria, interrupts the disease cycle, and reduces the quantity of weeds. Crop diversification boosts land-use efficiency and crop output by improving the physical and chemical qualities of soil. Crop diversification shows a lot of scope to alleviating the problems such as resurgence of insects-pests and weeds, soil degradation, environmental pollution, soil salinity, decline farm profit and climate change. Crop diversification through crop intensification system enhanced the net returns, B:C ratio, and overall system productivity of a farm. In order to achieve the benefits of crop diversification farmers are shifting from low value low yielding crops to high value high yielding crops. Thus, crop diversification has the sound capacity for achieving the goal of nutritional security, income growth, food security, employment generation and sustainable agriculture development.
With an increment of population day by day the agriculture sector is facing a big issue with the production and the economics of production as well. In this scenario adoption of more efficient tools which could mitigate the drawbacks and led the agriculture in a sustainable way is the need of the hour. The application of nanotechnology in agriculture and forestry will help the environment to retain its biodiversity [1]. Nano fertilizers are synthesized or modified form of traditional fertilizers, fertilizers bulk materials or extracted from different vegetative or reproductive parts of the plant by different chemical, physical, mechanical or biological methods with the help of nanotechnology used to improve soil fertility, productivity and quality of agricultural produces [2]. In this particular scenario adoption of labour saving and well advanced technologies is badly needed. This could be mitigated by a eco-friendly technology of Nano-science [3]. Nano fertilizers can control nutrient release and give the proper amount of nutrients to crops in the right proportions, boosting yield while maintaining environmental safety [4]. A report by Dwairi [5] proposed that urea-impregnated zeolite may be utilised as a slow-release fertiliser, releasing nitrogen slowly and steadily from Nano zeolite. Zinc is one of the commonly deficient micronutrient in soil [6]. Chlorophyll formation, fertilisation, pollen function, and auxin synthesis all need zinc-containing nanomaterials. Zn is one of the elements that defend plants from drought conditions. [7]. A research by Raliya and Tarafdar in 2013 [8] showed that zinc oxide, Nano Particles were shown to improve chlorophyll content, protein synthesis, rhizospheric microbial activity, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and phytase activity in a cluster bean rhizosphere. Copper has characteristics of first transported to shoot and then re translocated into root [9]. An experiment on moong bean (Vigna radiata) and wheat revealed that nano copper could penetrate cell membrane and conglomerate thereafter. Moong bean was found to be more sensitive regarding the toxicity of nano copper than wheat [10], (Rico et al. 2011)
Climate change has emerged as one of the major environmental issue due to it’s subsequent effect on food production and food security. The changing climate over the years posing a major impact on rainfed crops including pulses. India, the largest producer of Pulses over the world with 25% share in global pulse production are largely dependent on pulses that grows in rainfed areas. As a result, climate change are predicted to be more pronounced in these crops. Increasing concentration of greenhouse gases like CO2 act as catalyst on enhancing global temperature which in term affecting heat-sensitive Pulse crops. Such a scenario emanating from the climate change presents a veritable challenge to the food and feed economy [1]. Pulses are one of the most important food crops which serve as main source of vegetable protein in human diet. In the recent scenario, we are observing a declining growth rate in pulse production. Inadequate and erratic rainfall, abrupt rise in temperature, untimely drought are posing threat to pulse production. Shift in monsoon causes delayed sowing of kharif crops as it’s consequence sowing of pulse crops in rabi season also get delayed. Delayed sown crops face terminal heat during it’s phenological growth which reduces it’s potential yield, on the other hand untimely rainfall in it’s reproductive growth period during the month of Feb-Mar reduces the yield drastically [2]. Other problems like salinity, waterlogging also act as menace in pulse cultivation. Last but not the least, changing climate often facilitates pest-disease infestation, weed emergence which can cause a huge reduction in crop yield. To meet these emerging challenges of climate change, there is an urgent need of developing proper mitigation strategies combining with Agronomic and breeding approaches. Intervention of Government policy and crop insurance scheme along with proper alleviation strategies will definitely contribute in stabilization of yield of pulse crops in near future.
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