Conservation agriculture in soybean (Glycine max) -wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system-A review

Conservation agricultureisan importantcomponent oftheoverallstrategyfor enhancingproductivity, improveenvironmental quality and preserve natural resources for food security and poverty alleviation. Soil tillage is one of the fundamental agrotechnical operations in agriculture because of its influence on soil properties, environment and crop growth. Since continuous soiltillagestronglyinfluencethesoilproperties,itisimportant toapplyappropriatetillagepracticesthatavoid thedegradation of soil structure, maintain crop yield as well as ecosystem stability. The efficiency of input use viz. water, fertilizers, herbicides and others depend on tillage and crop establishment practices. It is therefore, essential that the soil environment be manipulated suitably for ensuring a good crop stand and improve resource-use efficiency. Sustaining production and productivityofanysystem isofparamount importancebyimprovingthe soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. Conventional tillageoperationswillalter theseproperties in everycropping cycle therebyaffecting thesoil system. Resource conservation systems have drawn the attention of agronomists and other crop production scientists to devise innovative tillage and residue management techniques for efficient resource management and sustained productivity. To combat soil loss and preserve soil moisture soil conservation techniques were developed in USA known as conservation tillage (CT), this involves soil management practices that minimize the disruption of the soil's structure, composition and natural biodiversity, thereby minimizing erosion and degradation, control annual weed and seed bank but also water contamination.