Energy and carbon budgeting of the pearl millet-wheat cropping system for environmentally sustainable agricultural land use planning in the rainfed semi-arid agro-ecosystem of Aravalli foothills
2022
Kumar, Ashok | Singh, Dilīp | Mahapatra, S.K.
Improvements in energy-use efficiency and carbon footprint reduction are critical for the sustainability of agricultural systems. The present study was aimed at evaluating the suitability of pearl millet-wheat cropping system as an environmentally sustainable land use option in the rainfed semi-arid ecosystem of the Aravalli foothills, India. The socio-economic survey was done in five land management units (LMUs) to collect real-world data using stratified random sampling technique. The results showed high yields of pearl millet and wheat (2.5 t ha⁻¹ and 4.5 t ha⁻¹) with high net return (1424 US $ ha⁻¹) under large holdings of LMU5. The mean total energy consumed in the system was 32265 MJ ha⁻¹, wherein non-renewable and renewable energy sources contributed 77% and 23%, respectively. Large holdings of LMU5 produced significantly high net energy return (243989 MJ ha⁻¹), energy-use efficiency (9.8), carbon efficiency (11.9), and carbon sustainability index (10.9). The carbon footprint was high under marginal and small holdings, which necessitates soil and water conservation measures to achieve high yields. In the pearl millet-wheat system, energy-smart and carbon-efficient approaches of crop cultivation need to be popularized to attain sustainable productivity in the semi-arid ecosystem.
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