Edaphic Stresses: Concerns and Opportunities for Management

Abstract

Sustainable intensification of soil resources is inevitable to maintain food and nutritional security with ever-increasing demographic pressures. However, the major gains in agricultural productivity in the recent past have led to severe land degradation and the resultant edaphic constraints. These include chemical stresses like emerging nutrient deficiencies (93, 91, 51, 43% soils rated low in N, P, K, Zn, respectively) with mining (8–10 million Mg of NPK annually) along with acidity (pH < 5.5 in 17.93 M ha), salinity (6.73 M ha), and pollutants, while severe soil erosivity (water 82.47 M ha and wind 12.40 M ha), shallow soils (26.4 M ha), soil hardening (21.4 M ha), and low water-holding capacity (13.75 M ha) constitute the major physical constraints. The Indian soils are inherently low in low organic carbon, and climate change is further impacting the farming systems. Even the conservative estimates are that the edaphic stresses cause about two-third loss of agricultural production. Several land and water management practices have been put forward to minimize the impact of these stresses including conservation agriculture, rainwater harvesting, integrated nutrient management, integrated farming systems, etc. However, to alleviate the effects of multiple stressors, a holistic approach to build up systems perspectives is a need of the hour. The new tools emerging especially in the areas of resource-conserving farming systems, conservation agriculture, precision irrigation technologies, biotechnology and omic sciences, etc. are opening up new opportunities for tackling these stresses. The database compiled here should allow for better focus of research to develop the best combination of agroecosystem-based technologies. Moreover, these should improve awareness among decision makers to evolve policy guidelines and take up measures toward “sustainable development goals.”