Soil erosion poses a significant threat to environmental conservation and sustainable land management, especially in regions where land use, terrain, and rainfall patterns interact to accelerate degradation. This study aimed to assess soil erosion and prioritize watersheds for conservation in the upper Mahi River catchment. The main objectives were to estimate spatial soil loss, identify erosion-prone areas, and provide recommendations for targeted soil and water conservation measures. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was integrated in cloud computing approach (Google Earth Engine) and Geographic Information System to analyse key factors influencing erosion, including rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, crop management, and conservation practices. The value of R factor ranges from 852.62 to 1236.42. The K value ranges from 0 to 0.05. The higher erodibility values observed in watershed 1 and watershed 2 coincide with areas dominated by soils containing higher proportions of fine sand. The LS factor varied from 0 to 12.68, indicating considerable spatial variability in erosion susceptibility due to topographic influence and the C factor ranged between 0 to 1. Higher C factor values indicate greater susceptibility of soil to erosion, commonly associated with barren land and grazing areas where protective vegetation is minimal. The P factor value ranges from 0 to 1 indicates the less management practices in the study area. The integration of all the factors shows that estimated soil loss in the six watersheds ranged from 3.92 to 8.41 t/(ha yr), with watershed 3 exhibiting the highest erosion rate. These findings indicate that watershed 3 is the most vulnerable and requires urgent soil conservation interventions. Recommended practices include contour farming, cover cropping, agroforestry, grass waterways, mulching, riparian buffer zones, check dams, reduced or no-tillage farming, and diversion channels to effectively reduce soil loss and improve land productivity. The study demonstrates that integrating cloud-based GIS analysis provides an efficient and timely approach for supporting sustainable watershed management. It is recommended that these conservation practices be implemented in the most erosion-prone areas to mitigate degradation and support long-term environmental sustainability.
Context: Climate-resilient slope farming requires such practices that enhance soil fertility, retain maximum rainwater for minimizing soil and nutrient losses, and yield stability under frequently changing farming conditions. Objectives: This six-year field study (June, 2017 to May, 2023) was conducted in a split-plot design on 2% sloping natural runoff gauge plots aimed to assess the feasibility of Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices in rainfed sloping arable lands to evaluate the impacts of tillage and cropping system diversification on residue retention, soil erosion, nutrient losses, yield performance, and soil properties in maize-wheat (M-W; June, 2017 to May, 2020) and direct-seeded paddy-wheat (P-W; June, 2020 to May, 2023) rotations. Methods: Field experiments were conducted under three tillage systems (main-plots)-zero tillage (ZT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT)-and three cropping sequences with residue management (sub-plots): CS1 (maize/paddy-wheat, 5 cm stubble), CS2 (maize/paddy + in situ sunn hemp/Sesbania-wheat + mustard/lentil, 15 cm stubble), and CS3 (maize/paddy + cowpea-green peas/French beans-wheat, 15 cm stubble). Key parameters evaluated included residue cover and biomass, crop canopy, runoff, soil and nutrient losses, wheat equivalent yield (WEY), bulk density (BD), and soil organic carbon (SOC). Results: Residue retention was consistently higher in P-W (55-58%) than in M-W (47-49%), and both the rotations produced similar to 6.0-6.3 t ha(-1) yr(-1) above-ground biomass. ZT markedly reduced runoff and soil loss compared to CT in both systems, with stronger effects in P-W (82-91% and 88-97% reductions in runoff and soil loss, respectively) compared to M-W (35-69% and 52-84%, respectively). Nutrient retention was greater in M-W, where ZT conserved 77 kg organic carbon, 12 kg nitrogen, 1.5 kg phosphorus, and 10 kg potassium ha(-1) yr(-1) compared to CT, nearly double the retention observed in P-W. Productivity was higher and more stable in M-W, with WEY exceeding 10 t ha(-1) under CT and RT, and improving under ZT over time. In contrast, P-W showed moderate but variable yields (<= 7.2 t ha(-1)). CS3 in M-W rotation produced the highest WEY, ranging from similar to 9.5-10 t ha(-1) and similar to 4.7-5.0 t ha(-1) in P-W. SOC improved under conservation practices in both systems, reaching 13.7 g kg(-1) in ZT and 13.5 g kg(-1) in CS2 and also reduced bulk density (1.30 g cm(-3)). Conclusions: Overall, M-W demonstrated superior nutrient conservation and yield stability, while P-W provided stronger erosion and residue management benefits, highlighting complementary strengths for developing climate-resilient cropping systems. Integrating ZT with legume-based diversified cropping and in situ residue management (CS3) improves soil health, reduces erosion and nutrient loss, and stabilizes yields, demonstrating a viable pathway toward climate-resilient CA in sloping rainfed arable lands.
Mining-induced land degradation severely disrupts ecosystems through the loss of vegetation diversity, accelerated erosion, soil and water contamination, and alteration of landforms. Although numerous reclamation initiatives have been undertaken worldwide, evidence on their long-term ecological effectiveness in terms of ecosystem recovery remains limited. This study evaluated the prolonged impacts of rehabilitation measures implemented in a minespoil watershed in northwestern India, focussing on soil- and vegetation-based interventions, and their influence on the hydrological stability, vegetation dynamics, species diversity, carbon sequestration potential, and water quality. The results indicated a substantial improvement in hydrological stability, with monsoon runoff declining from 57 % in 1984 to 25 % in 2023, and debris outflow reducing from 550 t ha-1 in 1984 to nearly zero by 2023. The vegetation cover increased markedly from 10 % (pre-rehabilitation) to 95 %, particularly on the middle and lower slopes. Similarly, species diversity and richness exhibited consistent increased trends after the implementation of rehabilitation measures. Vegetation analysis identified Acacia catechu as a dominant species, followed by Leucaena leucocephala and Toona ciliata, all of which played a major role in the recovery of minespoil land. As an indicator species, Acacia catechu exhibited substantial growth, with tree height increasing from 5.37 m to 11.9 m and girth from 33.25 cm to 136.6 cm over 15 year. Similarly, the NDVI increased from 0.58 to 0.82 between 1991 and 2023, while model-derived carbon stock increased from 2.15 Mg C ha-1 to 5.21 Mg C ha-1 over the same period. However, water quality assessments indicated elevated levels of TDS (1652 ppm), salinity (1920 ppm), calcium, and magnesium, rendering the water unsuitable for irrigation and direct human consumption. Overall, the present findings demonstrate that long-term rehabilitation measures are highly effective in restoring minespoil lands by improving hydrological regulation, enhancing vegetation cover and species diversity, and significantly increasing carbon sequestration.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of sulfur application, particularly sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs), on yield, nutrient content, uptake, and soil sulfur dynamics in a groundnut-mustard cropping system. Two year (2021–2022) study was conducted at Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat, India. Eleven treatments of SNPs and elemental sulfur were applied via fertigation, and their effects on groundnut-mustard cropping system performance and soil properties were analyzed. The highest chlorophyll content, seed, haulm, and stover yield, as well as increased sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper content in plant parts, were observed under recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) + SNPs at 3.0 mg S/kg soil (split application: half at sowing, half at 1 month after sowing). Sulfur fractions and Diethylene Triamine Penta Acetic acid extractable micronutrients were highest at RDF + SNPs at 4.0 mg S/kg soil, split similarly. The lowest values were recorded under control treatment. The optimized application of SNPs significantly improved yield, nutrient uptake, and sulfur use efficiency in the groundnut-mustard system, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional sulfur fertilizers. RDF + SNPs at 3.0 mg S/kg soil in a split dose is recommended as an optimum sulfur management strategy under controlled conditions. This approach supports sustainable agricultural practices and efficient nutrient management, ensuring long-term soil health and productivity.
The Indo-Gangetic plains in India have low wheat productivity and quality due to inadequate irrigation and nutrient management in predominantly zinc (Zn)-deficient soils. To address these challenges, a two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the individual and combined effects of irrigation scheduling and Zn application on wheat yield, quality and efficiency indices. The study followed a randomised block design with 3 replications, comprising 4 irrigation schedules based on critical Zadoks growth stages and five Zn application strategies involving basal and foliar treatments. Results showed that in general, among irrigation schedules treatment I2 (crown root initiation (CRI) + late jointing + milking) enhanced the wheat grain yield (11–12 %), protein content (18.4–18.7 %) and partial factor productivity (15.9–18.2 kg kg-1) during both the years. Among Zn treatment, Zn4 (10 kg Zn ha-1 as basal + 0.25 % ZnSO4 foliar sprays at Z45 and Z71) improved the 15–18 % grain yield whereas Zn2 enhanced 18.7–19.10 % protein content than control (Zn1). However, the combined effect of I2 × Zn4 numerically increased the grain yield by 22–25 %, protein yield (35 %) and various efficiency indices over the control (I1× Zn1) during both years of experimentation. Overall, the synchronised I2 × Zn4 treatment emerged as the best agronomic strategy for improving yield, nutritional quality and sustainability of wheat under water-limited conditions. This approach enhanced the productivity, profitability and nutritional security of wheat in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Future research should validate this framework across diverse agro-ecological regions and socio-economic context.
