Abstract
One major crop production type in semi-arid area is dryland farming dependent on rainfall. The major factors that constrain semi-arid soil fertility and sustainable agriculture are low rainfall, low nutrient capital, moisture stress, soil erosion, high P fixation, high alkalinity, and low soil biodiversity. The water stress, low rainfall and shallow depth of many semi-arid soils limit food production in annual cropping systems. The management of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere has emerged as an alternative to chemical fertilizers to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable agroecosystems; but it seems that major agricultural practices that strongly affect every approach to sustainable dryland farming in this area are affected by the choice of soil tillage practices. Crop response to tillage systems is diverse due to the complex interactions between tillage-induced soil, edaphic crop requirements and weather. The use of crop rotation, earthworms and mycorrhizae give several benefits in this area, and could be improved by adopting the best soil tillage system. This review treats the role of conservation tillage practices in enhancing soil water retention and infiltration, as well as physical, chemical and biological soil quality.
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