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Abstract Background and Aims Cotton-peanut rotation is a sustainable farming practice that enhances land utilization and promotes the sustainable development of agriculture. Crop rotation can reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases, as different crops have varying levels of resistance to such threats. Additionally, by alternating the types of crops grown, the soil environment is changed, which can lead to the elimination of favorable conditions for pathogens and pests, thereby alleviating the impact of these issues. Furthermore, cotton-peanut rotation can improve soil fertility.To investigate the effects of different crop rotation systems on crop yield, soil nutrients, and soil microbial communities. Methods: Using high-throughput sequencing technology, investigate the soil microbial diversity in the root zone after cotton-peanut rotation.Various planting patterns, including cotton continuous cropping (MC), peanut continuous cropping (HC), peanut-cotton-peanut rotation (HR), and fallow (X), were established to assess variations in crop yield, soil nutrients, and soil microbial diversity. Results: Significant differences were observed in crop yield, soil nutrients, and soil microbial community structure among different planting patterns. The HR system significantly increased the output compared with the HC and MC systems. Additionally, HR exhibited significantly lower total nitrogen (N) and basic nitrogen (BN) contents than HC and MC, whereas MC showed lower total potassium (K) and available potassium (AK) contents. HR led to a decrease in soil bacterial diversity but an increase in fungal diversity, with Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota being dominant. Various bacteria (Chloroflexi, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota) associated with organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling were found across different planting systems, enhancing material cycling efficiency. Furthermore, Planctomycetota bacteria related to crop nutrient synthesis and Glomeromycota bacteria aiding plant nutrient absorption were significantly higher in the MC system than in the HR or HC systems. Redundancy analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between crop rotation and soil fungal community, whereas Ascomycota exhibited a significant negative correlation with organic matter.Conclusion: Peanut-cotton rotation can mitigate soil nutrient loss, enhance beneficial microorganism diversity, suppress harmful bacterial populations, stabilize ecosystems, and boost crop yield.

Abstract The application of fertilizer to ensure the steady improvement of crop yield has become the main means of agricultural production. However, it remains to be determined whether fertilization practices with different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and organic (O) fertilizers play a positive role in the sustainability of maize yield and the soil in which it is grown. Therefore,this meta-analysis extracted 2663 data points from 76 studies to systematically analyze and explore the effects of different fertilization measures on maize yield, soil nutrients, water content and water use efficiency (WUE) in northern China. Articles addressing this topic showed that fertilization effectively increased the soil nutrient content and maize yield. The soil organic matter (SOM) increased by 2.36 (N)–55.38% (NPO), total nitrogen content increased by 6.10 (N)–56.39% (NPO), available phosphorus content increased by 17.12 (N)–474.74% (NPO), and available potassium content changed by − 2.90 (NP)–64.40% (NPO). Soil moisture increased by 3.59% under a single organic fertilizer application and decreased by 4.27–13.40% under the other treatments. Compared with no fertilization, the yield increase of fertilized maize reached 11.65–220.42%. NP, NPK and NPKO contributed the most to increased yield in lithological, black and fluvo-aquic soils, respectively. The effects of different fertilization practices on maize yield varied in response to the same meteorological factors. The WUE increased from 9.51 to 160.72%. In conclusion, rational fertilization can improve the soil nutrient content and increase maize yield. The combined application of chemical and organic fertilizer showed the greatest increase in yield and WUE. Organic fertilizer application alone increased soil moisture. Our results provide a theoretical basis for fertilizer application and for improving the soil structure for maize cultivation in northern China.

The incorporation of organic amendments is widely acknowledged for its capacity to enhance soil fertility and boost crop productivity. However, whether the addition of organic amendments can improve soil quality and crop production, simultaneously causing methane emissions in paddy fields, deserves further investigation. In this meta-analysis, the effects of different organic amendments on soil nutrient levels, rice yield and CH4 emissions were evaluated in paddy fields based on 328 observations from 77 field trial studies. Our results revealed that the addition of organic amendments significantly increased soil organic carbon (9.47%), microbial biomass carbon (21.13%), microbial biomass nitrogen (28.91%), urease (25.07%) and β-glucosidase (24.41%). Moreover, straw addition significantly increased the CH4 emissions by 152.68% and rice yield by 7.16%; green manure addition significantly increased CH4 emissions by 71.62% and rice yield by 10.09%, respectively. Although both increased the CH4 emissions, green manure had the ability to improve the availability of N, which could improve rice uptake. The regression results showed that the variation in crop yield, soil nutrients and CH4 emissions are influenced through the types and quality of organic amendments. Overall, this study suggests that organic amendments are beneficial in maintaining soil quality and improving rice yield, whereas it also increased the CH4 emissions. These meta-analysis results may provide some references for optimizing organic amendments incorporated into the soil to sustain soil fertility and crop production while mitigating soil constraints and methane emissions.

The incorporation of organic amendments is widely acknowledged for its capacity to enhance soil fertility and boost crop productivity. However, whether the addition of organic amendments can improve soil quality and crop production, simultaneously causing methane emissions in paddy fields, deserves further investigation. In this meta-analysis, the effects of different organic amendments on soil nutrient levels, rice yield and CH4 emissions were evaluated in paddy fields based on 328 observations from 77 field trial studies. Our results revealed that the addition of organic amendments significantly increased soil organic carbon (9.47%), microbial biomass carbon (21.13%), microbial biomass nitrogen (28.91%), urease (25.07%) and β-glucosidase (24.41%). Moreover, straw addition significantly increased the CH4 emissions by 152.68% and rice yield by 7.16%; green manure addition significantly increased CH4 emissions by 71.62% and rice yield by 10.09%, respectively. Although both increased the CH4 emissions, green manure had the ability to improve the availability of N, which could improve rice uptake. The regression results showed that the variation in crop yield, soil nutrients and CH4 emissions are influenced through the types and quality of organic amendments. Overall, this study suggests that organic amendments are beneficial in maintaining soil quality and improving rice yield, whereas it also increased the CH4 emissions. These meta-analysis results may provide some references for optimizing organic amendments incorporated into the soil to sustain soil fertility and crop production while mitigating soil constraints and methane emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biochar application is widely studied to mitigate the threats of soil degradation to food security and climate change. However, there are big variations in the effects of biochar application on crops, soils, and the atmosphere during crop production. This study provides a global dataset of biochar application effects on crop yield, soil properties, and greenhouse emissions. The dataset is extracted and integrated from 367 peer-reviewed studies with 891 independent field, laboratory, and incubation experiments across 37 countries. This dataset includes 21 variables before and after biochar application (including soil properties, crop yield, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.) of 2438 items, focusing on two main biochar application types: biochar application alone and combined with fertilizers. Background information on climate conditions, initial soil properties, management practices, and characteristics of biochar sources and production is also contained in the dataset. This dataset facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the impact of biochar application, supports the utilization of agricultural wastes for biochar production, and assists researchers in refining experimental protocols for further studies.

The combined application of manure and mineral fertilizer represents an effective strategy for enhancing crop yield. However, the relationship between soil fertility and crop yield remains unclear in saline-alkaline soil. Here, a 9-year field experiment (2015–2023) was conducted to investigate the effects of manure application and crop rotations on crop yield and economic efficiency as well as potential associated mechanisms in the Hetao Irrigation District. The results showed that in the third cropping rotation cycle, combined application of manure and mineral fertilizers (NPKO) caused a 6.2%, 38.9%, 65.3%, and 132.2% increase in wheat, sunflower, wheat equivalent yield, and the economic income of sunflower, respectively. The average grain yield had a positive correlation with soil organic matter and nutrient supply. This suggested that the soil organic matter had a positive effect on the crop yield due to its impact on nutrient supply. Simultaneously, the sunflower seed setting rate increased by 65.2% under NPKO. The linear regression model revealed that each additional input of 20 Mg ha−1 of manure resulted in an increase of 3.56 kg ha−1 in crop phosphorus harvest and a 0.05 Kg ha−1 increase in wheat equivalent yield compared to NPK. In conclusion, our results highlighted that manure application promotes soil properties and improves crop yield.

Establishing cultivated grassland in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region is an effective method to address the conflict between vegetation and livestock. However, the high altitude, low temperature, and arid climate in the region result in slow regeneration and susceptibility to degradation of mixed cultivation grassland containing perennial legumes and gramineous plants. Therefore, we aim to through field experiments, explore the feasibility of establishing mixed cultivation grassland of Poaceae species in the region by utilizing two grass species, Poa pratensis L. and Puccinellia tenuiflora. By employing a mixture of P. pratensis and P. tenuiflora to establish cultivated grassland, we observed significant changes in forage yield over time. Specifically, during the 3rd to 6th years of cultivation, the yield in the mixed grassland was higher than in monocultures. It exceeded the yield of monoculture P. tenuiflora by 19.38% to 29.14% and surpassed the monoculture of P. pratensis by 17.18% to 62.98%. Through the analysis of soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial communities in the cultivated grassland, the study suggests that the mixed grassland with Poaceae species can enhance soil enzyme activity and improve soil microbial communities. Consequently, this leads to increased soil nutrient levels, enhanced nitrogen fixation efficiency, and improved organic phosphorus conversion efficiency. Therefore, establishing mixed grasslands with Poaceae species in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region is deemed feasible.

To address the growing issue of scarce water in the arid and semi-arid areas, it is essential to investigate the potential of drought tolerant crops and implement promising farm management strategies to improve water productivity and yield production. Therefore, a split plot experiment to investigate how different irrigation levels (I-1:100% water requirement (WR), I-2:75%WR, and I-3: 50%WR) and planting methods (P-1: basin, P-2: on-ridge, and, P-3: in-furrow) interact and affect quinoa water use, yield, root growth, and water productivity in southern Iran over two growing seasons. The results showed high seasonal crop evapotranspiration (993–1030 mm) in I-1 as a result of the high advection ratio (α), which ranged from 1.02 to 1.46 from the early vegetative to the seed filling stages. The P-3 increased transpiration rate by 4.5% and 7.7%, and decreased soil evaporation by 17% and 29% compared to P-1 and P-2, respectively. Single (Kc) and dual (Kcb + Ke) crop coefficients varied between 0.41 and 1.38 over the two growing seasons. Grain yield in P-3 were 25%, 34%, and 44% higher compared to P-1 and P-2 under I-1, I-2 and I-3, respectively. The study revealed that nearly 67% and 80% of the total root dry matter was in the 0–30 cm and 0–60 cm of the soil profile in all experimental treatments, respectively. Regardless of irrigation treatment, root length density (RLD) and root mass density (RMD) were found to be 18.9% and 15.7% lower in P-1’s top 0–20 cm of the soil profile than those obtained in P-2 and P-3, respectively. Analyses showed that the increased root length in deeper soil layers contributed to higher soil water uptake, and consequently higher crop water productivity. In addition, root-to-shoot ratio increased as the amount of the applied irrigation water was decreased. Quinoa exhibited the highest acclimation to water stress in P-3 based on water stress sensitivity coefficients (λi) and yield response factor (Ky) values. Crop water productivity (WPC) and irrigation water productivity (WPI) for grain yield varied between 0.17 and 0.28 kg m−3. In conclusion, in terms of grain yield, shoot and root dry matter and water productivity, I-2 and P-3 (75% WR irrigation level and in-furrow planting method treatment) is recommended as the optimum water and planting management strategy for quinoa cultivation in the study area as a measure to address water scarcity and food sustainability. Still, to improve yield and irrigation water efficiency, the effect of soil management practices such as mulching and organic amendments on soil water retention and nutrient availability for quinoa should be investigated.

Integrating camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) into wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -based cropping systems in the Great Plains Region of the United States could improve soil properties and overall system productivity. However, there is little information on crop yields and soil properties in dryland cropping systems with camelina rotation. This study investigated the effect of replacing fallow with camelina on crop yields, soil water content, and soil properties in dryland wheat-based cropping systems in western Kansas, United States, from 2013 to 2017. Treatments were four crop rotations, wheat-fallow (W–F), wheat-sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) -fallow (W–S–F), wheat-camelina (W–C), and wheat-sorghum-camelina (W–S–C) in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results showed sorghum grain yield was unaffected by camelina in the crop rotation. Wheat grain yield was reduced by 15% when camelina replaced fallow in the rotation. Camelina yield was two-fold greater when planted after wheat (W–C) relative to the yield after sorghum (W–S–C). Increasing cropping intensification increased annualized yield compared to W–F. Soil water content was less in intensified crop rotations compared to rotations with fallow. Soil organic carbon varied among crop rotations and was least in W–F (1.4%). The W–S–C rotation had the greatest microbial biomass carbon, while microbial biomass nitrogen was least in W–C regardless of sampling time. Rotations including camelina had greater potentially mineralizable nitrogen. Increasing cropping intensity increased the proportion of larger water stable soil aggregates, while the less intensified system (W–F) had greater proportion of smaller water stable soil aggregates. Our findings suggest adding camelina to wheat-based crop rotations decreased wheat yields, but improved soil properties and increased the overall system productivity.

This study assessed the effects of sowing dates and phosphorus levels on cotton performance in Chato-Msilale village in Chato District, Tanzania. The soil analysis revealed that field exhibited slightly acidic soil with normal electrical conductivity but suffered from severe deficiencies in total nitrogen and organic carbon. The same field presents common issue of low cation exchange capacity, indicating limited nutrient-holding capacity. Furthermore, both fields displayed very low levels of total nitrogen (

The effects of different irrigation and fertilization on potato yield, soil fertility and soil enzyme activity of different varieties under drip irrigation fertilization mode were studied, which could provide support for selecting the best varieties in Northwest China. Three factors and three levels orthogonal experimental design method, a total of nine treatments. The three irrigation levels were W1 (100% crop evapotranspiration (ETC)), W2 (80% ETC) and W3 (60% ETC). The three fertilization levels were F1 (N-P2O5-K2O, 240-120-300 kg ha−1), F2 (180-90-225 kg ha−1) and F3 (120-60-150 kg ha−1). The three varieties were V1 (Feiuritar), V2 (Longshu7) and V3 (Qingshu 9). The results showed that different irrigation and fertilization had significant effects on potato yield, soil fertility and soil enzyme activity in root zone. The highest yield of T5 (80%ETC, 180-90-225 kg ha−1, Qingshu 9) was 49,222.3 kg ha−1. With the increase of fertilizer application rate, potato yield and soil enzyme activity in root zone increased first and then decreased, but soil electrical conductivity (SEC), soil nitrate-N content (SNNC), soil alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content (SAHC), soil available potassium (AK), soil available phosphorus (AP), soil ammonium-N content (SANC) and soil organic matter (SOM) in root zone increased continuously. The yield, soil catalase activity, soil urease activity and soil sucrase activity at W2 were 2.81% and 22.2%, 1.84% and 7.04%, 8.26% and 9.62%, 5.34% and 13.36% higher than those at W1 and W3, respectively. The overall trend of soil water content, soil nutrient content and enzyme activity in root zone was 0–20 cm >20–40 cm >40–60 cm soil layer. There were many soil factors affecting tuber yield, among which soil enzyme activity, pH value and root zone conductivity were the key factors. The results showed that T5 (80%ETC, 180-90-225 kg ha−1, Qingshu 9) was the best treatment to improve soil enzyme activity and yield.

【Objective】To investigate the effects of different mixed sowing proportions of hairy vetch and oat on crop yield, soil enzyme activity and microbial communities in the agricultural dry-crop areas at the northern foothills of the Yinshan Mountains in Inner Mongolia.【Methods】Using hairy vetch and oat as experimental objects, six treatments were set up, namely, single sowing of hairy vetch (DB1), single sowing of oat (DB2), 80% hairy vetch+ 20% oat (HB1), 60% hairy vetch+40% oat (HB2), 40% hairy vetch+60% oat (HB3), and 20% hairy vetch+80% oat (HB3). Soil samples were collected from the 0-20 and 20-40 cm soil layers in the early, middle, and late stages of growth, respectively. The effects on crop yield, soil enzyme activity and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content were analyzed, and changes in soil microbial community diversity and structure were analyzed by using high-throughput sequencing technology.【Results】HB1, HB2, HB3 treatments were 1%-11% higher than DB1 treatment for the relative grain yield of hairy vetch, and 3%-25% higher than DB2 treatment for the relative grain yield of oat. During the mid growth stage in the 0-20 cm soil layer, compared with DB1 and DB2 treatments, HB2 treatment soil catalase activity significantly increased by 9.65% and 11.55% (P<0.05), respectively, and sucrase activity significantly increased by 11.47% and 15.44% (P<0.05), HB1 treatment increased urease activity by 8.07% and 19.41% (P<0.05), respectively;HB2 treatment had the highest microbial biomass carbon content, while HB1 treatment had the highest microbial biomass nitrogen content, at 95.79 and 21.02 mg/kg, respectively. Compared with the DB2 treatment, the HB2 treatment soil bacterial OTU index was significantly increased by 15.79% (P<0.05), the Shannon index increased by 5.41%;Compared with DB1 treatment, HB2 treatment increased fungal OTU index by 33.58% (P<0.05), Shannon index increased by 36.50%, and Chao1 index increased by 6.56%. At the phylum level, HB2 treatment increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Mortierellomycota, while decreasing the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Acidobacteriota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota.【Conclusion】The mixed sowing treatment of 60% hairy vetch +40% oat is a suitable proportion for agricultural dry-crop areas in the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountains, Inner Mongolia. Under this treatment, crop grain yield is the highest, soil enzyme activity and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content are higher, and soil bacterial and fungal diversity, richness, and relative abundance of beneficial bacterial phyla are all increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact of integrated nutrient management on plant and soil nutrient status in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.) cv. Phule Mosambi was investigated for two consecutive years i.e. 2019 and 2020 at the Horticultural Research Farm, College of Horticulture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) comprised of 11 treatments replicated thrice. Significantly higher yield was recorded with T11 [50% Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) + 20 kg farmyard manure (FYM)/tree +25% nitrogen (N) from Castor Cake + 10 ml Bio NPK Consortium + Micronutrient foliar spray (1% Grade IV)] (17.35 and 17.01 t/ha) which was at par with T10 (15.92 and 15.56 a t/ha) during 2019 and 2020, respectively. Amongst the treatments, T11 had increased the nutrient contents of soil as well as in plant and recorded maximum available nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), soil boron (B) content, plant nitrogen (N) content, plant iron (Fe) content, plant copper (Cu) content and plant boron (B) content in both the years whereas available phosphorous (P) was found higher in treatment T7 in both the years. Treatment T8 recorded highest soil copper (Cu) content in both the years. As far as plant zinc (Zn) content is concerned, it was found higher in treatment T9 in both the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw return utilizes waste resources to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers worldwide. However, information is still lacking on the relative impact of straw return on soil fertility, the nutrient composition of different soil aggregates, and soil microbial communities. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the effects of different management practices on the crop yield, soil fertility, and soil community composition in a 14-year wheat–rice rotation system. The treatments included a control (without fertilizer and straw addition), chemical fertilization (NPK), straw return without fertilizer (S), and straw addition with chemical fertilizer (NPKS). The results showed that NPKS improved the wheat and rice yield by 185.12% and 88.02%, respectively, compared to the CK treatment. Additionally, compared to the CK treatment, the N, P, and K contents of the wheat stem were increased by 39.02%, 125%, and 20.23% under the NPKS treatment. Compared to the CK treatment, SOM, TN, TP, AN, AP, AK, CEC, AFe, AMn, ACu, and AZn were increased by 49.12%, 32.62%, 35.06%, 22.89%, 129.36%, 48.34%, 13.40%, 133.95%, 58.98%, 18.26% and 33.33% under the NPKS treatment, respectively. Moreover, straw addition promoted the creation and stabilization of macro-aggregates in crop soils. The relative abundance of macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm) increased from 37.49% to 52.97%. Straw addition was associated with a higher proportion of aromatic and carbonyl carbon groups in the soil, which, in turn, promoted the formation of macro-aggregates. Redundancy analysis showed that straw return significantly increased the microbial community diversity. These findings demonstrate that straw addition together with chemical fertilizer could increase the crop yield by improving soil fertility, soil aggregate stability, and the diversity of fungi.

Waste mushroom residues are often returned to fields as organic amendments. Here, we estimated the effects of the continuous applications of different spent mushroom substrates for 2 years on crop yields, soil nutrients, and heavy metals in paddy fields. The study comprised seven treatments: no fertilization (CK) and mineral NPK fertilizer (CF), as well as NPK fertilizer combined with Enoki mushroom residue (EMR50), Oyster mushroom residue (OMR50), Auricularia polytricha mushroom residue (APR50), Shiitake mushroom residue (SMR50), and Agaricus bisporus residue (ABR50). The grain yield was highest under the APR50 treatment. The short-term application of waste mushroom residue significantly increased SOC, TN, TP, and TK content relative to the CK treatment. The SOC, TP, and TK were highest under ABR50. Both total Cr and Cd contents were highest under CF treatment. The highest cumulative ecological risk was observed under OMR50 treatment. In addition, crop yield was positively correlated with SOC, TN, TP, and TP. Our results highlight that further research and innovation are needed to optimize the benefits and overcome the challenges of mushroom residue application.

The aim of the current study was to assess the performance of Canavalia ensiformis and Mucuna deeringiana (Leguminosae) as a green manure in the agricultural soil of the Frailesca region of Chiapas, México, in terms of aboveground biomass accumulation, plant height, number of leaves, canopy coverage, and the accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Each species was sowed at two population densities under a randomized complete block design with three replications. Every 30 days after sowing (DAS), the following variables were quantified: plant length, number of leaves, canopy coverage, biomass yield, and N, P, and K content. A variance analysis and mean comparison test (Tukey 0.05) were performed for each variable. The biomass yield in M. deeringiana fluctuated from 9150 to 33,160 kg ha-1 on a fresh basis and from 4490 to 15,890 kg ha-1 on a dry basis, whereas the yield in C. ensiformis varied from 9343 to 26,390 kg ha-1 and from 4513 to 13,150 kg ha-1, respectively. The longest recorded plant length was 513.00 cm in M. deeringiana and 155 cm in C. ensiformis, with a total of 353 and 322 leaves, respectively. The accumulation of N, P, and K was 463.99 kg ha-1, 84.22 kg ha-1, and 49.26 kg ha-1 in M. deeringiana and 341.90 kg ha-1, 43.40 kg ha-1, and 36.82 kg ha-1 in C. ensiformis, respectively. Both C. ensiformis and M. deeringiana have potential as green manure for the Frailesca region of Chiapas in terms of biomass production and N accumulation.

Context. Tillage-based agriculture has led to soil health deterioration and decline in crop productivity. Recently, zero tillage (ZT) and crop residue management has emerged as an alternative to conventional tillage. Methods. This experiment was done in northwest India over 3 years, with four treatments: (1) conventional transplanted puddle rice (TPR) + conventional tillage wheat (CTW) with 1/3 of wheat residues incorporated (TPR-[CTW.sub.RI/3i]); (2) TPR + CTW (TPR-CTW); (3) ZT direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR) + ZT wheat (ZTW) with 1/3 of wheat residues incorporated (ZTDSR-[ZTW.sub.RI/3i]); and (4) conventional tillage direct-seeded rice (CTDSR) + ZTW with full residues of both rice and wheat crop incorporated (CTDSR-[ZTW.sub.Rfr]). Two rice (CSR 30, CSR 36) and two wheat (HD 2894, KRL 213) varieties were used. Soil samples were collected after harvest at 0-15 to 15-30 cm soil depth. Key results. In rice, yield was significantly higher under conventional tillage, and variety CSR 36 outperformed CSR 30 in various yield attributes. In wheat, the number of grains per spike was significantly higher in TPR-[CTW.sub.RI/3i] than TPRZTW. After rice harvest, there was ~10% and 5% higher available N in TPR-CTW and CTDSR-[ZTW.sub.Rfr] compared to ZTDSR-[ZTW.sub.RI/3i] and TPR-[CTW.sub.RI/3i], respectively (0-15 cm depth). After wheat harvest, highest SOC content (7.5 g [kg.sup.-1]) was found under CTDSR-[ZTW.sub.Rfr] (0-15 cm depth); and highest total water-stable aggregates were observed under CTDSR-[ZTW.sub.Rfr] (37.52%; 0-15 cm depth). Compared to farmers' practise, the total global warming potential of rice-wheat cropping system was reduced by 43% with conservation agriculture-based management practises (ZTDSR-[ZTW.sub.R]l/3i). Conclusions. DSR (in rice) and ZT in wheat with full residue retention best improved soil organic carbon and nutrient availability in soil. Implications. Conservation agriculture systems can be adopted to improve crop productivity, soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Keywords: aggregate stability, crop varieties, crop yield, GHG emissions, Indo-Gangetic Plains, residue management, water-stable aggregates, zero tillage., Introduction Rice-wheat (RW) cropping occupies a 13.5 million ha area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and provides food for more than 400 million people of South Asia (Kumar et al. [...]