*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF* *for sustainable agriculture, land use and ecosystem management* Dear Colleagues, Please see below the April Cornell Conservation Agriculture Scoopit newsletter from Prof. Peter Hobbs at Cornell. Thank you Peter for sharing. *Amir Kassam * *Moderator* *Global CA-CoP* e-mail: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture *Regional CA websites:* URL: http://www.act-africa.org/ URL: https://ecaf.org/ URL: http://www.caa-ap.org/ URL: http://caapas.org/ The national CA area data up to 2018/19 is in the article: *Successful Experiences and Lessons from Conservation Agriculture Worldwide. Amir Kassam, Theodor Friedrich and Rolf Derpsch. Agronomy 12, 769. 2022.* <https://www.dropbox.com/s/j7mi4tjwnupialq/Successful%20Experiences%20and%20Lessons%20agronomy-12-00769-v3%20Corrected%20Published%20Version.pdf?dl=0> ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Peter Hobbs <[log in to unmask]> Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2023 at 18:56 Subject: April Cornell CA Scoopit newsletter To: Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]> Dear Amir: Here is our April 2023 Cornell Conservation Agriculture Scoopit Research Update. You can also view online at https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?curate=true&null Can you send this out to people who get your listserv material? The hard copy is below. An easier link to see all the research papers on CA is as follows: https://www.zotero.org/groups/348525/cornell_conservation_agriculture/collections/KGBFX8BX Also, visit our main website at http://soilhealth.org for news and other CA information. Please use this link since we had to move our web site to a new server and this link takes you to the CA web site. Many thanks for helping to distribute this. Peter [image: Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - April 2023] <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag> Conservation Agriculture Research Updates - April 2023 <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag> by Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org) <https://www.scoop.it/u/conservation-ag> Powered by [image: Scoop.it] <https://www.scoop.it> Yield, soil Nitrogen content and weed control in six years of conservation agriculture on-farm field trials in Southwest Germany. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330742/2023/04/01/yield-soil-nitrogen-content-and-weed-control-in-six-years-of-conservation-agriculture-on-farm-field-trials-in-southwest-germany> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167198722003014> - Today, 1:46 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330742/2023/04/01/yield-soil-nitrogen-content-and-weed-control-in-six-years-of-conservation-agriculture-on-farm-field-trials-in-southwest-germany> Pekrun, C., Messelhauser, M.H., Finck, M., Hartung, K., Moller, K. & Gerhards, R. 2023. Soil and Tillage Research. 227. Article 105615. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330742/2023/04/01/yield-soil-nitrogen-content-and-weed-control-in-six-years-of-conservation-agriculture-on-farm-field-trials-in-southwest-germany> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105615 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper investigates the effects on no-till (NT) and shallow conservation tillage (RT) in combination with cover crop mixtures in rotations with at least three different crops in on-farm experiments in Germany. Experiments were done in 18 farms and 2 experiment stations over 6 years. Yields of cereals, oilseed rape, maize, soybean and peas were slightly lower under no-tillage than under conservation tillage. Cover cropping did not affect crop yields. Tillage and cover cropping had no influence on weed control in the subsequent main crop. They conclude that CA with minimum tillage had slight advantages compared to the no-till system under their farming conditions. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330742/2023/04/01/yield-soil-nitrogen-content-and-weed-control-in-six-years-of-conservation-agriculture-on-farm-field-trials-in-southwest-germany> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142330742?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142330742?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142330742?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142330742> Soil physical environment and active carbon pool in rice–wheat system of South Asia: Impact of long-term conservation agriculture practices. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330645/2023/04/01/soil-physical-environment-and-active-carbon-pool-in-rice-wheat-system-of-south-asia-impact-of-long-term-conservation-agriculture-practices> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352186422003893> - Today, 1:26 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330645/2023/04/01/soil-physical-environment-and-active-carbon-pool-in-rice-wheat-system-of-south-asia-impact-of-long-term-conservation-agriculture-practices> Raj, R., Das, T.K., Chakraborty, D., Bhattacharyya, R., Babu, S., Govindasamy, P., Kumar, V., Ekka, U., Sen, S., Ghosh, S., Roy, A. & Sharma, T. 2023. Environmental Technology and Innovation. 29. Article 102966. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330645/2023/04/01/soil-physical-environment-and-active-carbon-pool-in-rice-wheat-system-of-south-asia-impact-of-long-term-conservation-agriculture-practices> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2022.102966 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This is paper on the rice-wheat systems of South Asia, a system where its sustainability is questioned. The paper looks at the soil physical properties and carbon pools in a 10-year CA experiment. The treatment that had triple NT in all three crops (CA5) -- rice-mungbean-wheat - with residues left on the surface resulted in higher soil aggregates than conventional tillage - puddled transplanted rice - tilled wheat. Soil infiltration rate, sorptivity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity, yields and net returns were also significantly higher in CA5 than in CT. They conclude that CA-based rice–wheat–mungbean system (CA5) would be an alternative to conventional PTR-CTW system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India and in similar agro-climatic situations of South Asia. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330645/2023/04/01/soil-physical-environment-and-active-carbon-pool-in-rice-wheat-system-of-south-asia-impact-of-long-term-conservation-agriculture-practices> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142330645?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142330645?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142330645?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142330645> Conservation tillage and residue management improve soil health and crop productivity—Evidence from a rice-maize cropping system in Bangladesh. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310821/2023/03/31/conservation-tillage-and-residue-management-improve-soil-health-and-crop-productivity-evidence-from-a-rice-maize-cropping-system-in-bangladesh> From www.frontiersin.org <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.969819/full> - March 31, 11:56 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310821/2023/03/31/conservation-tillage-and-residue-management-improve-soil-health-and-crop-productivity-evidence-from-a-rice-maize-cropping-system-in-bangladesh> Sarker, M.R., Galdos, M.V., Huda, M.S., Chaki, A.K. & Hossain, A. 2022. Frontiers in Environmental Science.10. Article 969819. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310821/2023/03/31/conservation-tillage-and-residue-management-improve-soil-health-and-crop-productivity-evidence-from-a-rice-maize-cropping-system-in-bangladesh> https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.969819 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper reports on the rice-maize system in Bangladesh, an expanding system in this country. Traditionally, this systems cultivates puddled transplanted rice followed by tilled maize. This is labor intensive, reduces soil health and is less profitable. As such, a field study looked at conservation agriculture (CA) based tillage and crop establishment (TCE) techniques and residue management practices on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil along with crop productivity and the profitability of rice-maize systems in the sandy loam soil of Northwest Bangladesh. The authors concluded that CA could be an appropriate practice for sustaining soil fertility and crop yield under R-M systems in light-textured soils or other similar soils in Bangladesh. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310821/2023/03/31/conservation-tillage-and-residue-management-improve-soil-health-and-crop-productivity-evidence-from-a-rice-maize-cropping-system-in-bangladesh> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142310821?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142310821?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142310821?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142310821> Conservation agriculture effects on yield and profitability of rice-based systems in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310717/2023/03/31/conservation-agriculture-effects-on-yield-and-profitability-of-rice-based-systems-in-the-eastern-indo-gangetic-plain> From www.cambridge.org <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/experimental-agriculture/article/conservation-agriculture-effects-on-yield-and-profitability-of-ricebased-systems-in-the-eastern-indogangetic-plain/0AE8642923339447199523776AF33203> - March 31, 11:32 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310717/2023/03/31/conservation-agriculture-effects-on-yield-and-profitability-of-rice-based-systems-in-the-eastern-indo-gangetic-plain> Islam, Md.A., Bell, R.W., Johansen, C., Jahiruddin, M., Haque, Md.E. &Vance, W. 2022. Experimental Agriculture. 58 (1) Article e33. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310717/2023/03/31/conservation-agriculture-effects-on-yield-and-profitability-of-rice-based-systems-in-the-eastern-indo-gangetic-plain> https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000291 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper looks at practices to reverse declining soil fertility resulting from excessive tillage and crop residue removal, while decreasing production costs and increasing farm profits in two sites in Bangladesh. Crop establishment methods included strip planting (SP), bed planting (BP), and conventional tillage (CT). Residue levels used were high (HR) and low (LR). The SP and BP of non-rice crops were rotated with non-puddled rice establishment; CT of non-rice crops was rotated with puddled transplanted rice. In the legume-dominated system (rice-lentil-mung bean), lentil yields were similar in SP and CT, while lower in BP in crop season 1. A positive effect of high residue over low residue was apparent by crop season 2 and persisted in crop season 3. In crop season 3, the lentil yield increased in SP and BP compared to CT. In the cereal-dominated system (rice-wheat-mung bean), significant yield increases of wheat in SP and BP over CT, and of HR over LR, were found by crop season 3 but not before. Rice yields under CA practices (non-puddled and HR) were comparable with CT (puddled and LR) in both systems. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142310717/2023/03/31/conservation-agriculture-effects-on-yield-and-profitability-of-rice-based-systems-in-the-eastern-indo-gangetic-plain> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142310717?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142310717?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142310717?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142310717> Soil hydrologic properties in permanent raised beds—A field study experiment on wheat–maize cropping systems. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308637/2023/03/31/soil-hydrologic-properties-in-permanent-raised-beds-a-field-study-experiment-on-wheat-maize-cropping-systems> From doi.org <https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4487> - March 31, 11:03 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308637/2023/03/31/soil-hydrologic-properties-in-permanent-raised-beds-a-field-study-experiment-on-wheat-maize-cropping-systems> Lin, H., He, J., Li, H., Wang, Q., Lu, C., Yang, W., Wang, Q. & Yang, H. 2023. Land Degradation and Development. 34 (3) 698-709. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308637/2023/03/31/soil-hydrologic-properties-in-permanent-raised-beds-a-field-study-experiment-on-wheat-maize-cropping-systems> https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4487 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper looks at Permanent Raised Beds (PRB) a form of NT on ridges and furrows for their potential to conserve soil and water resources. In this 6-year field study with a maize-wheat rotation in the North China Plains on the soil's hydraulic properties of no-tillage (NT) and traditional tillage (TT) on flat fields and no-till PRB treatments were assessed. Soil samples were taken from 0-15 and 15-30 cm depth. Total porosity and SOC under PRB were significantly improved compared to TT . Changes in the slope (b) of the soil water retention characteristic curve under the PRB treatment were indicative of an improvement in the pore size distribution, increased soil water retention, and greater infiltration rates. In addition, positive changes in lateral water infiltration from furrow irrigation were observed under PRB. They conclude that the application of PRB and the principles of conservation agriculture have potential for effective water use efficiency and for improving the quality of soil. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308637/2023/03/31/soil-hydrologic-properties-in-permanent-raised-beds-a-field-study-experiment-on-wheat-maize-cropping-systems> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142308637?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142308637?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142308637?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142308637> Successional Effects of No-Till Cover Cropping with Black Oat (Avena strigosa) vs. Soil Solarization on Soil Health in a Tropical Oxisol <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284176/2023/03/30/successional-effects-of-no-till-cover-cropping-with-black-oat-avena-strigosa-vs-soil-solarization-on-soil-health-in-a-tropical-oxisol> From www.mdpi.com <https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/6/527> - March 30, 8:01 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284176/2023/03/30/successional-effects-of-no-till-cover-cropping-with-black-oat-avena-strigosa-vs-soil-solarization-on-soil-health-in-a-tropical-oxisol> Marquez, J., Paudel, R., Sipes, B.S. & Wang, Koon-hui. 2022. Horticulturae. 8 (6) Article 527. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284176/2023/03/30/successional-effects-of-no-till-cover-cropping-with-black-oat-avena-strigosa-vs-soil-solarization-on-soil-health-in-a-tropical-oxisol> https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8060527 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This 2-year study in Hawaii had 3 treatments: 1) Black Oats (BO) as a pre-plant cover crop followed by no-till (NT); 2) bare ground (BG) followed by conventional tillage (CT); and 3) BG followed by soil solarization (SOL). Various soil properties and the soil food web structure using nematodes as soil health indicators were monitored throughout the subsequent corn crops. SOL served as a negative control pre-plant treatment known to manage plant-parasitic nematodes but be destructive to the soil food web. No-till cropping with BO resulted in higher levels of volumetric soil moisture, field capacity, and soil organic matter, and supported a fungal-dominated decomposition pathway in trial I and more structured nematode communities than BG and SOL in trial II. No-till cropping with BO in Oxisol decreased the soil macroporosity and increased the soil bulk density, which were not favorable outcomes for water infiltration. SOL following conventional tillage was successful in generating lethal temperatures to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes and increased water infiltration in both years but was destructive to the soil food web and reduced the soil organic matter and soil moisture in both years <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284176/2023/03/30/successional-effects-of-no-till-cover-cropping-with-black-oat-avena-strigosa-vs-soil-solarization-on-soil-health-in-a-tropical-oxisol> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142284176?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142284176?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142284176?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142284176> Improved crop protection and biodiversity of the agroecosystem by reduced tillage in rice paddy fields in southern China <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142283475/2023/03/30/improved-crop-protection-and-biodiversity-of-the-agroecosystem-by-reduced-tillage-in-rice-paddy-fields-in-southern-china> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2667010022001378> - March 30, 7:31 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142283475/2023/03/30/improved-crop-protection-and-biodiversity-of-the-agroecosystem-by-reduced-tillage-in-rice-paddy-fields-in-southern-china> Lu, Qi-qi, Song, Y.F., Pan, Ke-qing, Li, Y., Tang, Ming-xin, Zhong, Guo-hua, & Liu, J. 2022. Journal of Integrative Agriculture. 21 (8) 2345-2356. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142283475/2023/03/30/improved-crop-protection-and-biodiversity-of-the-agroecosystem-by-reduced-tillage-in-rice-paddy-fields-in-southern-china> https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(21)63802-9 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This study used an integrated network to show how the reduction of tillage (RT) intensity influenced invertebrates (such as rice pests and their predators), pathogens and weeds, that led to an impact on rice yield.This two year study showed that major rice pests, common diseases, and the density of weeds declined or were controlled by RT. The diversity and richness of pest predators increased in rice fields where RT or NT was used and yields increased gradually. The authors conclude that RT is beneficial for the protection of rice from various pests, and improves the sustainability of the agroecosystem and rice yield in southern China. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142283475/2023/03/30/improved-crop-protection-and-biodiversity-of-the-agroecosystem-by-reduced-tillage-in-rice-paddy-fields-in-southern-china> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142283475?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142283475?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142283475?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142283475> Response of soil organic carbon content to crop rotation and its controls: A global synthesis <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142279917/2023/03/30/response-of-soil-organic-carbon-content-to-crop-rotation-and-its-controls-a-global-synthesis> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167880922001669> - March 30, 3:45 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142279917/2023/03/30/response-of-soil-organic-carbon-content-to-crop-rotation-and-its-controls-a-global-synthesis> Liu, X., Tan, S., Song, X., Wu, X., Zhao, G., Li, S. & Liang, G. 2022. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 335. Article 108017 <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142279917/2023/03/30/response-of-soil-organic-carbon-content-to-crop-rotation-and-its-controls-a-global-synthesis> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108017 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This article was selected because it covers crop rotation (CR), one of the pillars of CA, affects on soil organic carbon (SOC). The study used 513 pairwise data from 167 global studies and did a meta-analysis to look at the role of CR on SOC content. Their results showed that CR overall enhanced SOC content by 6.6%. SOC content increased more in regions with intermediate mean annual temperature and precipitation. CR had greater impact on SOC in neutral soil pH, loamy texture and medium levels of initial SOC and total N. CR also performed better for SOC in soybean -based cropping systems with more rotation cycles, longer rotation length, medium N use, and where NT, residue retention, and organic fertilizer was used. They concluded that their study helps establish and manage site-specific CR systems that could enhance SOC in agroecosystems, ultimately facilitating carbon neutrality. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142279917/2023/03/30/response-of-soil-organic-carbon-content-to-crop-rotation-and-its-controls-a-global-synthesis> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142279917?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142279917?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142279917?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142279917> Soil hydraulic properties and pore dynamics under different tillage and irrigated crop sequences. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142331609/2023/04/01/soil-hydraulic-properties-and-pore-dynamics-under-different-tillage-and-irrigated-crop-sequences> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0016706122006000> - Today, 1:36 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142331609/2023/04/01/soil-hydraulic-properties-and-pore-dynamics-under-different-tillage-and-irrigated-crop-sequences> Talukdar, R., Plaza-Bonilla, D., Catero-Marinez, C., Wendroth, O. & Lampurlanes, J. 2023. Geoderma. 430. Article 116293. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142331609/2023/04/01/soil-hydraulic-properties-and-pore-dynamics-under-different-tillage-and-irrigated-crop-sequences> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116293 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: The objective of this study was to determine spatio-temporal dynamics of soil hydraulic properties and pore characteristics on a silt loam long-term tillage field experiment, in NE Spain, during two cropping years. Undisturbed soil samples were used to determine soil water retention, and soil hydraulic conductivity curves in two different tillage systems (intensive tillage, IT vs no-tillage, NT), two crop sequences (short fallow-maize, FM vs legume-maize, LM) and two positions (within the crop row W-row vs between the crop rows B-row). This study shows that LM increases specific hydraulic conductivity of soil macroporosity by increasing the number of effective macropores and the effective porosity. Further, long-term NT formed a stable number of effective macropores and coarse mesopores, and showed a greater pore continuity in coarse and fine mesopores, resulting in improved soil water flux. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142331609/2023/04/01/soil-hydraulic-properties-and-pore-dynamics-under-different-tillage-and-irrigated-crop-sequences> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142331609?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142331609?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142331609?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142331609> Crop Yields under Climate Variability and No-Tillage System in Dry Areas of Morocco <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330591/2023/04/01/crop-yields-under-climate-variability-and-no-tillage-system-in-dry-areas-of-morocco> From www.ecoeet.com <http://www.ecoeet.com/Crop-Yields-under-Climate-Variability-and-No-Tillage-System-in-Dry-Areas-of-Morocco,155024,0,2.html> - Today, 1:10 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330591/2023/04/01/crop-yields-under-climate-variability-and-no-tillage-system-in-dry-areas-of-morocco> Moussadek, R., Laghrour, M., Mrabet, R. & Van Ranst, E. 2023. Ecological Engineering and Environmental Technology. 24 (1) 221-232. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330591/2023/04/01/crop-yields-under-climate-variability-and-no-tillage-system-in-dry-areas-of-morocco> https://doi.org/10.12912/27197050/155024 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper from research in Morocco looks at the issues of intensive land use and irregular rainfall, serious threats to food security. It looks at the using a long-term NT system started in 2004 to compare NT vs CT under irregular rainfall. Yields (grain and biomass) of crops (wheat and lentil) under NT and CT were analyzed and compared over the years of study. Results showed that crop yields varied over the years but under NT were greater or equal to CT yields. CT yields were correlated with with rainfall, whereas NT yields were not and are more adaptable in these dryland areas.. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142330591/2023/04/01/crop-yields-under-climate-variability-and-no-tillage-system-in-dry-areas-of-morocco> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142330591?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142330591?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142330591?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142330591> Effect of no-till and residue retention on fungal composition and population in maize-bean intercrop. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308827/2023/03/31/effect-of-no-till-and-residue-retention-on-fungal-composition-and-population-in-maize-bean-intercrop> From doi.org <https://doi.org/10.33472/AFJBS.4.2.2022.31-45> - March 31, 11:45 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308827/2023/03/31/effect-of-no-till-and-residue-retention-on-fungal-composition-and-population-in-maize-bean-intercrop> Nkonge, C., Muiru, W.M., Miano, D.W. & Chemining'wa, G.N. 2022. African Journal of Biological Sciences (South Africa). 4 (2) 31-45. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308827/2023/03/31/effect-of-no-till-and-residue-retention-on-fungal-composition-and-population-in-maize-bean-intercrop> https://doi.org/10.33472/AFJBS.4.2.2022.31-45 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This study looks at maize and beans intercropped under no-till with residue retention on composition and population of soil fungal species in Kenya. Soils were collected from 64 farmers where half had used CA and the other half conventional tillage (CT) for 5 years. In CT land was dug by hand held hoe and residue removed. CA resulted in increased soil fungal populations as compared to CT. There was no significant difference between CA and CT on crop diseases. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308827/2023/03/31/effect-of-no-till-and-residue-retention-on-fungal-composition-and-population-in-maize-bean-intercrop> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142308827?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142308827?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142308827?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142308827> Farmers’ perspectives as determinants for adoption of conservation agriculture practices in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142309636/2023/03/31/farmers-perspectives-as-determinants-for-adoption-of-conservation-agriculture-practices-in-indo-gangetic-plains-of-india> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2667378922000426> - March 31, 11:15 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142309636/2023/03/31/farmers-perspectives-as-determinants-for-adoption-of-conservation-agriculture-practices-in-indo-gangetic-plains-of-india> Mishra, A.K., Shinjo, H., Jat, H.S., Jat, M.L., Jat, R.K., Funakawa, S. & Sutaliya, J.M. 2022. Resources, Conservation and Recycling Advances. 15. Article 200105. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142309636/2023/03/31/farmers-perspectives-as-determinants-for-adoption-of-conservation-agriculture-practices-in-indo-gangetic-plains-of-india> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcradv.2022.200105 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: For successful adoption of CA, knowing farmer perspectives is critical. The objective of this study was to investigate the biophysical, socio-economic, and technical constraints in the adoption of CA by farmers in the Western- and Eastern-IGP. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to 50 households practicing CA in the Western- and Eastern-IGP. Results suggest economic profitability and soil health as core components from the farmer's motivational perspective. They conclude that scaling up of CA technologies should be targeted per site-specific requirements, emphasizing biophysical resource availability, socio-economic constraints, and future impacts of such technology. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142309636/2023/03/31/farmers-perspectives-as-determinants-for-adoption-of-conservation-agriculture-practices-in-indo-gangetic-plains-of-india> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142309636?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142309636?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142309636?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142309636> Improving soil aggregates stability and soil organic carbon sequestration by no-till and legume-based crop rotations in the North China Plain. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308592/2023/03/31/improving-soil-aggregates-stability-and-soil-organic-carbon-sequestration-by-no-till-and-legume-based-crop-rotations-in-the-north-china-plain> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0048969722046162> - March 31, 10:49 AM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308592/2023/03/31/improving-soil-aggregates-stability-and-soil-organic-carbon-sequestration-by-no-till-and-legume-based-crop-rotations-in-the-north-china-plain> Liu, W-X., Wei, Y-X., Li, R-C., Chen, Z., Wang, H-D., Virk, A.L., Lal, Rattan., Zhao, X., Zhang, H-L., Science of the Total Environment. 847. Article 157518. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308592/2023/03/31/improving-soil-aggregates-stability-and-soil-organic-carbon-sequestration-by-no-till-and-legume-based-crop-rotations-in-the-north-china-plain> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157518 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This field experiment had three treatments 1) no-till or rotary tillage under the maize-wheat-soybean-wheat system (NT-MWSW, RT-MWSW); 2) no-till or rotary tillage under the maize-wheat system (NT-MW, RT-MW), and 3) no-till or rotary tillage under the soybean-wheat system (NT-SW, RT-SW)] in the North China Plain (NCP) to assess their effects on aggregation and SOC. Results showed that macroaggregates (> 0.25 mm) were the main contributors to the soil carbon (C) pool. NT increased not only the proportion of macroaggregates but also aggregate stability. Significant positive effects from soybeans were observed under NT. The conversion rate of straw C input under NT-SW was higher than that in other treatments. The total potential mineralization of macroaggregates under NT legume-based crop rotations was higher than that of MW. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142308592/2023/03/31/improving-soil-aggregates-stability-and-soil-organic-carbon-sequestration-by-no-till-and-legume-based-crop-rotations-in-the-north-china-plain> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142308592?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142308592?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142308592?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142308592> Farmer participatory assessment of soil health from Conservation Agriculture adoption in three regions of East Africa. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284145/2023/03/30/farmer-participatory-assessment-of-soil-health-from-conservation-agriculture-adoption-in-three-regions-of-east-africa> From link.springer.com <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-022-00824-1> - March 30, 7:47 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284145/2023/03/30/farmer-participatory-assessment-of-soil-health-from-conservation-agriculture-adoption-in-three-regions-of-east-africa> Entz, M.H., Stainsby, A., Riekman, M., Mulaire, T.R., Kirima, J.K., Beriso, F., Ngotio, D., Salomons, M., Nicksy, J., Mutinda, M. & Stanley, K. 2022. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 42 (5) Article 97. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284145/2023/03/30/farmer-participatory-assessment-of-soil-health-from-conservation-agriculture-adoption-in-three-regions-of-east-africa> https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-022-00824-1 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper evaluated CA as practiced by farmers and compared farmer understanding of soil health in three East African countries. CA and non-CA fields were compared by sampling for 2-3 years. CA and non-CA fields were located close, on soils with the same texture, growing similar crops. Most of the CA fields were planted in basins. Farmers and technicians collected the data together. Farmers said that CA improved hoe-ability, crusting, smell and water infiltration. Fields under the CA treatment had a higher probability of rating better than non-CA fields. The paper discusses both benefits and drawbacks of using participatory, on-farm research. They conclude that farmer participation as citizen scientists will advance soil restoration in East Africa and increase the potential for farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange of soil-improving practices. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142284145/2023/03/30/farmer-participatory-assessment-of-soil-health-from-conservation-agriculture-adoption-in-three-regions-of-east-africa> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142284145?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142284145?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142284145?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142284145> Dataset of historic and modern bread and durum wheat cultivar performance under conventional and reduced tillage with full and reduced irrigation <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142280799/2023/03/30/dataset-of-historic-and-modern-bread-and-durum-wheat-cultivar-performance-under-conventional-and-reduced-tillage-with-full-and-reduced-irrigation> From linkinghub.elsevier.com <https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352340922006369> - March 30, 5:25 PM <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142280799/2023/03/30/dataset-of-historic-and-modern-bread-and-durum-wheat-cultivar-performance-under-conventional-and-reduced-tillage-with-full-and-reduced-irrigation> Honsdorf, N., Mulvaney, M.J., Singh, R.P., Ammar, K., Govaerts, B. & Verhulst, N. 2022. Data in Brief. 43. Article 108439. <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142280799/2023/03/30/dataset-of-historic-and-modern-bread-and-durum-wheat-cultivar-performance-under-conventional-and-reduced-tillage-with-full-and-reduced-irrigation> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2022.108439 *Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org)*'s insight: This paper looks at 14 bread and 13 durum wheat varieties for yield and agronomic performance under different tillage and irrigation treatments. The authors suggest that genotype × tillage effects on yield are not well understood and it is unclear whether tillage should be an evaluation factor in breeding programs. The treatments used were conventional and permanent raised beds (no-till on beds) with full and reduced irrigation. Data was collected on an array of different traits including days to emergence, flowering, maturity and various harvest traits. Six years of data of 26 genotypes were published along with the Honsdorf et al. (2018) paper in Field Crops Research (DOI: s10.1016/j.fcr.2017.11.011). This updated dataset includes three additional seasons of data (harvest years 2016 to 2018) and an additional bread wheat genotype (Borlaug100). <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag/p/4142280799/2023/03/30/dataset-of-historic-and-modern-bread-and-durum-wheat-cultivar-performance-under-conventional-and-reduced-tillage-with-full-and-reduced-irrigation> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/twitter/4142280799?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/facebook/4142280799?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/share/post/linkedin/4142280799?forceAnonymous=1> <https://www.scoop.it/topic/conservation-agriculture-by-conservation-ag?rescoopPostId=4142280799> ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CA-Cop-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(CA-Cop-L,SIGNOFF);