A field experiment was conducted on sandy loam at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel university of agriculture and technology, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) during the winter (rabi) season of 2017-18, to study the effect of precision nitrogen management in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown under conservation agriculture. The treatment comprising of tillage four crop establishment methods (T1 -Zero tillage (ZTW), T2 -Reduced tillage (RT), T3 -Furrow irrigation raised beds (FIRB), T4 -Conventional tillage (CTW)) in main plot and precision five nitrogen management (F1 -N 80:20 -N rate split as 80% basal and 20% at second irrigation, F2 -N 33:33:33 -N rate split as 33% basal, 33% at CRI stage (20-25 DAS) and 33% at second irrigation (40-45 DAS), F3 -N 80 -LCC -Split as 80% basal and further application of N based on LCC, F4 -N 50:50 -N rate split as 50% basal and 50% at CRI stage and F5 -FFP -farmers fertilization practice) in sub-plot and laid out in split-plot design with three replications. Results revealed that the maximum values of growth parameters (plant height, number of tiller, dry matter accumulation), yield attributes (number of spike, spike length, grain spike -1 and test weight) and yield was recorded in furrow irrigated raised beds system than rest of the tillage practices. Among precision nitrogen management treatments, the maximum values of growth characters (plant height, number of tiller and dry matter), yield attributes (number of spikes, spike length, grain spike -1 and test weight), grain and straw yield were noticed with application of fertilizer as N 80-LCC respectively. Thus, the use of furrow irrigated raised bed system along with application of nutrient as N 80 -LCC resulted the best combination for achieving higher growth, yield attributes and productivity of wheat crop.

Residues of various crops are considered nuisance but they can be helpful in increasing organic matter in soil and better cycling of nutrients in soil if managed properly. Better management and utilization of crop residues (CR) is necessary for better productivity and quality of crops. Sowing into loose residues is the major issue in adapting the drill sowing method. Apart from the higher quantity of rice (192.82 mt) and wheat residue (120.70 mt), the residue of sorghum, maize, barley, chickpea, groundnut, rapeseed, mustard, sugarcane trash, potato, soybean, sunflower and some other minor cereals also contribute substantially towards total amount of about 462.93 million tonnes in India in 1997-98. Three quarters of the total residue is produced by rice, wheat and oil seed crops with remaining quarter coming from sugarcane and sorghum. Crop residue is important component of low external input for sustainable agriculture without sacrificing productivity. The crop residues left behind is considered as burden forcing farmers to burn them as cheap and easiest method with mistaken belief that it enhances the soil fertility and helps in controlling weeds, insects and pests. Different studies revealed that burning of residues causes air pollution and nutrient loss in soil. Improvements in soil properties and the sustainability in crop productivity could be achieved if CR are proper managed. Long-term field studies at sites carefully selected with variations in temperature, moisture, soil mineralogy and management of agricultural residues representing various cropping systems across regions should be identified and sustained. The possible benefits of crop residues for the improvement of degrading soil fertility would be completely understood only then. Owing to the competing requirements for such biomass for feed, fuel or building material, smallholder farmers typically find it difficult to maintain a soil cover for crop residue or a cover crop.

In agroecosystems, straw return is a useful management strategy for increasing soil fertility and crop productivity. The total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic C (DOC), and microbial biomass C (MBC) contents all increased significantly when compared to the no straw return (N) and straw return (S) treatments, while the easily oxidizable C content remained same. The S treatment resulted in a 28–52 percent increase in soil light fraction, light fraction organic C, and particle organic C over the N treatment. When compared to the N treatment, crop straw return increased total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), bacterial biomass, and actinomycete biomass by 52, 75, and 56 percent, respectively. Under short-term crop straw return, MBC and TOC were the two key determinants determining microbial populations. In comparison to residue removal, residue retention (RR) enhanced SOC storage by 11.3 percent. SOC content and contribution of macro-aggregates in the 0-20 cm depth and micro-aggregates in the 20-40 cm depth rose significantly when no-tillage and straw returns were used together. When no-tillage with straw returning (NTS) was used instead of CT, SOC content, mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), and fractal dimensions (FD) rose by 25%, 21%, 19%, and 12%, respectively, in the 0-20 cm depth. Soil micro-aggregates were greater in the 20-40 cm depth after CTS treatment. In the 0-20 cm depth, the percentages of macro- and micro-aggregates increased by 60% and 40%, respectively, under NTS. MWD, GMD, > 5, 2-5, 1-2, and 0.25-0.5 mm aggregates all had a positive linear relationship with the SOC. Microbial biomass C (MBC) was considerably enhanced by 20.0 percent when compared to conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), but total organic C (TOC), dissolved organic C (DOC), readily oxidizable C (EOC), and SOC of aggregates were not affected. MBC increased by 18.3% and SOC content of 2–1-mm aggregate increased by 9.4% when residue was returned. Total PLFAs grew by 9.8%, while fungal biomass increased by 40.8 percent, thanks to NT. Total PLFAs, bacterial biomass, fungal biomass, F/B, and MUFA/STFA were all increased by 31.1, 36.0, 95.9, 42.5, and 58.8 percent, respectively, while microbial stress was reduced by 45.9%. Wheat straw return had a considerable impact on the bacterial community in the soil, but not on the fungus community. It increased the relative abundance of the bacteria phylum Proteobacteria and the fungal phylum Zygomycota, while decreasing the relative richness of the bacterial phylum Acidobacteria and the fungal phylum Ascomycota. It increased the relative abundance of nitrogen-cycling bacterial taxa including Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium, among others. This diversity includes bacteria, cyanobacteria, archaea, planctomycetes, and -proteobacteria, as well as endophytes. The system's intricacy and dynamic nature necessitate in-depth research on the three-part interactions between plants, microorganisms, and the soil-water environment.

The role of soil microorganisms in the biogeochemical process and nutrient cycling of soil is critical and is colossally impacted by agronomic management practices. In order to establish climate-smart precision land leveling practices in cereal based cropping systems, comprehension of the land bacterial local area and supplement nutrient dynamics under differentiating management practices is of most extreme significance. Climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices are gaining traction in subtropical India as a viable alternative to conventional cereal-based cropping systems for reversing natural resource depletion. Sustainable soil management alternatives that sequester carbon in the soil, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help intensify production, all while enhancing the natural resource base. Aggregate-associated soil organic carbon (SOC) contents in 0-15 cm depth were recorded highest SOC at 15-30 cm depth in Precision Land Leveling (PLL) systems as 9.4% for both M-P-MbPLL and M-W-MbPLL. Highest PON change in arable cropping system (30.9 & 40.1%) was found in O-W-Mb with precision land levelling plots followed by R-P-O with precision land levelling plots (26.1 & 35.8%) as compared to R-W and S-W system. The values of LFOC in surface soil were 194.7, 187.9, 176.2, 170.9, 168.5, 150.6, 132.8 and 123.8 mgkg−1 in R-P-O, R-C-O, M-W-Mb, O-W-Mb, M-P-Mb, R-P-Mb, R-W and S-W with precision land leveling treatments. Therefore, adopting Climate Smart Agriculture Precision Land leveling practices can dramatically boost system productivity in cereal-based cropping systems by improving SOC and soil biological quality. The overview literature accrued indicate that CSA based totally totally management has a remarkable impact on top soil resilience in phrases of relative abundances of bacterial groups, soil organic carbon & to be had plant nutrients and as a result may additionally play a vital function within the sustainability of the extensive cereal based cropping systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting food and nutrition security through economic and social systems shocks, food system disruptions and gaps in coverage of essential health and nutrition services. Food systems in low- and middle-income groups must adapt and strengthen food and nutrition security in the wake of COVID-19. Smallholder farmers are a crucial part of the food value chain in India, as well as a critical element of the global food system. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks that threaten livelihoods as well as food security. Post the rabi harvest in April, farmers prepare for the next (kharif) season in May. However, the COVID-19 induced disruptions have reduced production capacity for farm inputs and have led to an increase in price, making these resources inaccessible to smallholder and marginal farmers in the country. The corona-virus pandemic has caused a global reduction in economic activity and although this is major cause for concern, the ramping down of human activity appears to have had a positive impact on the environment. The COVID-19 lockdown has several social and economic effects. Additionally, COVID-19 has caused several impacts on global migration. Carbon emissions have dropped, and the COVID-19 lockdown has led to an improvement in air quality and a reduction in water pollution in many cities around the globe. We found that the COVID-19 lockdown in India has primarily impacted farmers’ ability to sell their crops and livestock products and decreased daily wages and dietary diversity. In this context, we aim to synthesize the early evidence of the COVID-19 impact on the Indian agricultural system viz., production, marketing and consumption followed by a set of potential strategies to recover and prosper post-pandemic. Findings indicate that the pandemic has affected production and marketing through labour and logistical constraints, while the negative income shock restricted access to markets and increased prices of food commodities affecting the consumption pattern.