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Ladha, J.

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Ladha
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Ladha, J.
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0000-0001-6517-5379

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    Enhancing productivity, soil health, and reducing global warming potential through cropping systems diversification and conservation agriculture in India's Western Indo-Gangetic Plains
    (TAFSSA, 2023) Gora, M.K.; Jat, H.S.; Ladha, J.; Choudhary, M.; Sharma, P.C.; Yadav, A.K.; Singh, L.K.; Sapkota, T.; Yadvinder-Singh; Prajapat, K.; Yadav, R.K.; Jat, M.L.; Krupnik, T.J.; Gathala, M.K.
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    Carbon sequestration potential, challenges, and strategies towards climate action in smallholder agricultural systems of South Asia
    (Elsevier, 2022) Jat, M.L.; Chakraborty, D.; Ladha, J.; Parihar, C.M.; Datta, A.; Mandal, B.; Nayak, H.S.; Maity, P.; Dharamvir Singh Rana; Chaudhari, S.K.; Gerard, B.
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    Biological nitrogen fixation and prospects for ecological intensification in cereal-based cropping systems
    (Elsevier, 2022) Ladha, J.; Peoples, M.B.; Reddy, P.M.; Biswas, J.C.; Bennett, A.; Jat, M.L.; Krupnik, T.J.
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    Conservation agriculture impacts in cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia: a meta-analysis
    (CIMMYT, 2021) Jat, M.L.; Chakraborty, D.; Ladha, J.; Dharamvir Singh Rana; Gathala, M.K.; Mcdonald, A.; Gerard, B.
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    Can productivity and profitability be enhanced in intensively managed cereal systems while reducing the environmental footprint of production? Assessing sustainable intensification options in the breadbasket of India
    (Elsevier, 2018) Kumar, V.; Jat, H.S.; Sharma, P.C.; Singh, B.; Gathala, M.K.; Malik, R.; Kamboj, B.R.; Yadav, A.K.; Ladha, J.; Raman, A.K.; Sharma, D.K.; Mcdonald, A.
    In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use and reducing environmental externalities (i.e., “sustainable intensification”, SI) by drawing on the principles of diversification, precision management, and conservation agriculture. Four scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 – “business-as-usual” [conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional-till wheat]; Scenario 2 – reduced tillage with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [PTR fb zero-till (ZT) wheat fb ZT mungbean]; Scenario 3 – ZT for all crops with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [ZT direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]; and Scenario 4 – ZT for all crops with strategic diversification and precision resource management [ZT maize fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]. Results of this five-year study strongly suggest that, compared with business-as-usual practices, SI strategies that incorporate multi-objective yield, economic, and environmental criteria can be more productive when used in these production environments. For Scenarios 2, 3, and 4, system-level increases in productivity (10–17%) and profitability (24–50%) were observed while using less irrigation water (15–71% reduction) and energy (17–47% reduction), leading to 15–30% lower global warming potential (GWP), with the ranges reflecting the implications of specific innovations. Scenario 3, where early wheat sowing was combined with ZT along with no puddling during the rice phase, resulted in a 13% gain in wheat yield compared with Scenario 2. A similar gain in wheat yield was observed in Scenario 4 vis-à-vis Scenario 2. Compared to Scenario 1, wheat yields in Scenarios 3 and 4 were 15–17% higher, whereas, in Scenario 2, yield was either similar in normal years or higher in warmer years. During the rainy (kharif) season, ZT-DSR provided yields similar to or higher than those of PTR in the first three years and lower (11–30%) in Years 4 and 5, a result that provides a note of caution for interpreting technology performance through short-term trials or simply averaging results over several years. The resource use and economic and environmental advantages of DSR were more stable through time, including reductions in irrigation water (22–40%), production cost (11–17%), energy inputs (13–34%), and total GWP (14–32%). The integration of “best practices” in PTR in Scenario 2 resulted in reductions of 24% in irrigation water and 21% in GWP, with a positive impact on yield (0.9 t/ha) and profitability compared to conventional PTR, demonstrating the power of simple management changes to generate improved SI outcomes. When ZT maize was used as a diversification option instead of rice in Scenario 4, reductions in resource use jumped to 82–89% for irrigation water and 49–66% for energy inputs, with 13–40% lower GWP, similar or higher rice equivalent yield, and higher profitability (27–73%) in comparison to the rice-based scenarios. Despite these advantages, maize value chains are not robust in this part of India and public procurement is absent. Results do demonstrate that transformative opportunities exist to break the cycle of stagnating yields and inefficient resource use in the most productive cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia. However, these SI entry points need to be placed in the context of the major drivers of change in the region, including market conditions, risks, and declining labor availability, and matching with the needs and interests of different types of farmers.
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    Physical and chemical properties of a sandy loam soil under irrigated rice-wheat sequence in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia
    (OMICS International, 2017) Gathala, M.K.; Jat, M.L.; Saharawat, Y.S.; Sharma, S.K.; Yadvinder-Singh; Ladha, J.
    Resource conservation technologies (RCTs) such as zero tillage (ZT), dry direct seeded rice (DSR) and crop residues as mulch are known to increase productivity and profitability of rice-wheat system (RWS) in South Asia. There are, however, few studies on assessing the effect of RCTs on physical and chemical properties of soil under RWS. A field experiment on a sandy loam soil was conducted on RWS for two years at Modipuram, India involving six treatment combinations of three tillage and crop establishment methods in rice, (i) conventional puddled transplanted rice (CT-PTR), (ii) conventional dry tillage followed by direct seeding of rice (CT-DSR), and (iii) zero tillage followed by direct seeding of rice (ZT-DSR), and two green manuring options (with and without intercropping of Sesbania aculeata, -S or +S). In the succeeding wheat, rice residue (RR) was retained in sesbania green manure treatments and it was removed from no sesbania plots. Wheat was direct sown after ZT (DSW) in all the plots. Substituting PTR/ DSW without crop residues with ZT-DSR/DSW plus residue cycling reduced electrical conductivity from 0.146 dS mâ  1 to 0.128 dS mâ  1 and increased soil organic C from 5.72 g kg-1 to 6.25 g kg-1 in 0-15 cm layer. Similarly, water-stable aggregates (WSAs) >0.25 mm were 28% higher and their mean weight diameter increased by 11.9% in ZT-DSR/ DSW plus residues compared to PTR/DSW without crop residues plots. On average, there was a 23.6% increase in large (4.75-8.00 mm) aggregates and a reduction of 15.8% in finer (0.106â  0.25 mm) aggregates in residue retention treatments over the no-residue treatments. In plots without puddling (ZT-DSR), the infiltration rates were higher (2.97-3.34 mmh-1) than in the CT-PTR (2.41-2.62 mmh-1). Residue retention compared to residue removal not only increased available K contents from 110.5 to 129.2 kg ha-1 but also showed favorable effects on soil matric potential and soil temperature during the wheat season. These beneficial effects on soil quality in just two years after introducing conservation tillage and residue management practices demonstrate potential to improve the long-term productivity and profitability of the RWS. However, the increased rate of infiltration under ZT with residue retention needs new irrigation techniques to minimize the loss of water through percolation during rice season.
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    A global analysis of alternative tillage and crop establishment practices for economically and environmentally efficient rice production
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Chakraborty, D.; Ladha, J.; Dharamvir Singh Rana; Jat, M.L.; Gathala, M.K.; Sudhir-Yadav; Adusumilli Narayana Rao; Ramesha, M.S.; Raman, A.K.
    Alternative tillage and rice establishment options should aim at less water and labor to produce similar or improved yields compared with traditional puddled-transplanted rice cultivation. The relative performance of these practices in terms of yield, water input, and economics varies across rice-growing regions. A global meta and mixed model analysis was performed, using a dataset involving 323 on-station and 9 on-farm studies (a total of 3878 paired data), to evaluate the yield, water input, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost and net return with five major tillage/crop establishment options. Shifting from transplanting to direct-seeding was advantageous but the change from conventional to zero or reduced tillage reduced yields. Direct-seeded rice under wet tillage was the best alternative with yield advantages of 1.3–4.7% (p < 0.05) and higher net economic return of 13% (p < 0.05), accompanied by savings of water by 15% (p < 0.05) and a reduction in cost by 2.4–8.8%. Direct-seeding under zero tillage was another potential alternative with high savings in water input and cost of cultivation, with no yield penalty. The alternative practices reduced methane emissions but increased nitrous oxide emissions. Soil texture plays a key role in relative yield advantages, and therefore refinement of the practice to suit a specific agro-ecosystem is needed.
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    Weedy rice: An emerging threat for direct-seeded rice production systems in India
    (OMICS Publishing Group, 2013) Singh, K.; Kumar, V.; Saharawat, Y.S.; Gathala, M.K.; Ladha, J.; Chauhan, B.S.
    Rice is an important cereal crop in India for food security. Conventional practices for rice production (puddled transplanting) are labour-, water-, and energy-intensive. All of these resources are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, thus making puddled transplanting less profitable. Moreover, this practice deteriorates soil physical properties and causes adverse effects on the productivity of succeeding upland crops. All these factors are forcing farmers to shift from puddled transplanted to direct-seeded rice (DSR) in irrigated or favourable rainfed rice-growing areas. Weedy rice, however, has emerged as a serious threat to rice production in countries (Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States) where DSR systems are common. Based on experiences in these countries, it is predicted that weedy rice is likely to emerge as a major threat in DSR production systems in India. Weedy rice is highly competitive and difficult to control in rice and can result in complete crop loss if not contained. Therefore, there is a need to develop ecologically based integrated management strategies in advance to deal with the likely problem of weedy rice in DSR, suited to Indian conditions for the long-term sustainability of DSR production systems. In this article, we discuss the origin of weedy rice, its biology and dispersal mechanisms, its association with DSR, and integrated weed management strategies, with the ultimate goal of increasing awareness of the threat posed by this species and stimulating research interest to develop effective and economical management strategies.
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    Simulation of resource-conserving technologies on productivity, income and greenhouse gas GHG emission in rice-wheat system
    (Academic Journals, 2012) Saharawat, Y.S.; Ladha, J.; Pathak, H.; Gathala, M.K.; Chaudhary, N.; Jat, M.L.
    The Rice-wheat (RW) cropping system is one of the major agricultural production systems in four Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal of South Asia covering about 32% of the total rice area and 42% of the total wheat area. The excessive utilization of natural resource bases and changing climate are leading to the negative yield trend and plateauing of Rice-wheat (RW) system productivity. The conservation agriculture based efficient and environmental friendly alternative tillage and crop establishment practices have been adopted by the farmers on large scale. A few tools have been evolved to simulate the different tillage and crop establishment. In the present study, InfoRCT (Information on Use of Resource Conserving Technologies), a excel based model integrating biophysical, agronomic, and socioeconomic data to establish input-output relationships related to water, fertilizer, labor, and biocide uses; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; biocide residue in soil; and Nitrogen (N) fluxes in the rice-wheat system has been validated for farmer participatory practices. The assessment showed that double no-till system increased the farmer?s income, whereas raised-bed systems decreased it compared with the conventional system. The InfoRCT simulated the yield, wateruse, net income and biocide residue fairly well. The model has potential to provide assessments of various cultural practices under different scenarios of soil, climate, and crop management on a regional scale
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