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Mcdonald, Andrew

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Mcdonald
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Andrew
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Mcdonald, A.
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0000-0002-2660-3470

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Author: Malik, R. × AGROVOC: ZERO TILLAGE ×

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Understanding decision processes in becoming a fee-for-hire service provider: a case study on direct seeded rice in Bihar, India
    (Elsevier, 2021) Brown, B.; Samaddar, A.; Singh, K.; Leipzig, A.; Anurag Kumar; Kumar, Pankaj; Singh, D.K.; Malik, R.; Craufurd, P.; Kumar, V.; Mcdonald, A.
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    Weed germinable seedbanks of rice–wheat systems in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains: do tillage and edaphic factors explain community variation?
    (Wiley, 2021) Lowry, C.J.; Brainard, D.C.; Kumar, V.; Smith, R.G.; Singh, M.; Kumar, Pankaj; Kumar, A.; Kumar, V.; Rajiv K. Joon; Jat, R.K.; Poonia, S. P.; Malik, R.; Mcdonald, A.
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    An impact of agronomic practices of sustainable rice-wheat crop intensification on food security, economic adaptability, and environmental mitigation across eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains
    (Elsevier, 2021) Mishra, J.S.; Poonia, S. P.; Kumar, R.; Dubey, R.; Kumar, V.; Mondal, S.; Dwivedi, S.K.; Rao, K.K.; Tamta, M.; Verma, M.; Saurabh, Kirti; Kumar, S.; Bhatt, B.P.; Malik, R.; Mcdonald, A.; Bhaskar, S.
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    Intercomparison of crop establishment methods for improving yield and profitability in the rice-wheat system of Eastern India
    (Elsevier, 2020) Singh, M.; Kumar, Pankaj; Kumar, V.; Solanki, I.S.; Mcdonald, A.; Kumar, A.; Poonia, S. P.; Kumar, V.; Anurag Ajay; Singh, D.K.; Singh, B.; Singh, S.; Malik, R.
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    Impact of conservation tillage in rice–based cropping systems on soil aggregation, carbon pools and nutrients
    (Elsevier, 2019) Nandan, R.; Vikram Singh; Sati Shankar Singh; Kumar, V.; Hazra, K.K.; Chaitanya Prasad Nath; Poonia, S. P.; Malik, R.; Ranjan Bhattacharyya; Mcdonald, A.
    Tillage intensive cropping practices have deteriorated soil physical quality and decreased soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in rice–growing areas of South Asia. Consequently, crop productivity has declined over the years demonstrating the need for sustainable alternatives. Given that, a field experiment was conducted for six years to assess the impact of four tillage based crop establishment treatments [puddled transplant rice followed by conventional tillage in wheat/maize (CTTPR–CT), non–puddled transplant rice followed by zero–tillage in wheat/maize (NPTPR–ZT), zero–till transplant rice followed by zero–tillage in wheat/maize (ZTTPR–ZT), zero–tillage direct seeded rice followed by zero–tillage in wheat/maize (ZTDSR–ZT)], two residue management treatments [residue removal, residue retention (~33%)], and two cropping systems [rice–wheat, rice–maize] on soil aggregation, carbon pools, nutrient availability, and crop productivity. After six years of rotation, in top 0.2 m soil depth, zero–till crop establishment treatments (ZTTPR–ZT and ZTDSR–ZT) had higher (p < 0.05) total organic carbon (TOC) over conventional tillage treatment (CTTPR–CT). Zero–till crop establishment treatments increased very–labile C faction (Cfrac1) by 21% followed by labile fraction (Cfrac2) (16%), non–labile fraction (Cfrac4) (13%) and less–labile fraction (Cfrac3) (7%). Notably, higher passive C–pool in conservation tillage practices over CTTPR–CT suggests that conservation tillage could stabilize the recalcitrant form of carbon that persists longer in the soil. Meantime, zero–till crop establishment treatments had higher (p < 0.05) water stable macro–aggregates, macro–aggregates: micro–aggregates ratio and aggregate carbon content over CTTPR–CT. The treatment NPTPR–ZT significantly increased soil quality parameters over CTTPR–CT. However, the effect was not as prominent as that of ZTTPR–ZT and ZTDSR–ZT. Retention of crop residue increased (p < 0.05) TOC (12%) and soil available nutrients mainly available–P (16%), followed by available–K (12%), DTPA–extractable Zn (11%), and available–S (6%) over residue removal treatment. The constructive changes in soil properties following conservation tillage and crop residue retention led to increased crop productivity over conventional CTTPR–CT. Therefore, conservation tillage (particularly ZTTPR–ZT and ZTDSR–ZT) and crop residue retention could be recommended in tropical rice–based cropping systems for improving soil quality and production sustainability.
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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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