Crop Residue Recycling for Improving Crop Productivity and Soil Health

Abstract

Crop residues are nutrient-rich precious bio-resources having huge potential of enhancing crop productivity and maintaining soil health. The potential benefits of on-farm crop residue utilization have been well-established and well-realized, especially after the popularization of conservation agriculture. The soil health in terms of physico-chemical and biological properties significantly improves both under crop residues incorporation or retention. Yet, huge quantities of crop residues are burnt on-farm to clear the fields. Efficient management of crop residues as a component of conservation agriculture could be a non-intrusive approach for providing economically and environmentally sustainable solutions for resource-scarce and fragile agro-ecologies. This chapter is a compilation of the concerted efforts made by several researchers in understanding the role of crop residues for soil health improvement, standardizing the on-farm crop residue recycling under varied farm situations, and appropriate mechanization required for their successful use.