Soil erosion is one of the major emerging threats to the Himalayan ecosystem. There is a dearth of diverse, cost-effective erosion control measures in the region. In the Himalayan region, where agriculture plays a pivotal role in local livelihoods and environmental stability, the management of soil erosion is of paramount importance. Hence, this study investigates the impact of biochar application on soil erosion and its related indices in the temperate Himalayas of India. This study employs a combination of physicochemical analysis and field experiments to assess the influence of biochar on soil erodibility. The research objectives include an examination of the influence of different temperature pyrolyzed biomasses and varying application rates on soil erodibility indices, viz., dispersion ratio (DR), percolation ratio (PR), clay ratio (CR), erosion ratio (ER), and mean weight diameter (MWD), considering two distinct fertilizer regimes. This study yielded quantitative results that shed light on the impact of various soil amendments and application rates on soil erodibility in the temperate Himalayas. Results showed that the mean values of the DR exhibited by amendment levels NB, AB400, AB600, RAC, DW400, DW600, and RDW were 0.37, 0.35, 0.51, 0.44, 0.51, 0.47, and 0.91, respectively. The mean values of DR for different amendment levels varied, with RDW exhibiting the highest erodibility at 0.91, while DW400 and DW600 demonstrated less soil disturbance, making them promising choices for soil erosion mitigation. Notably, the application of pyrolyzed weed residue improved soil erodibility, whereas AB600 resulted in increased soil erosion due to aggregate disintegration, as indicated by the MWD. Aquatic weed residues and apple wood chips applied without pyrolysis increased the soil erodibility, while pyrolyzed residues improved soil erodibility. The DR was 0.41 at the high application rate, 0.48 at the medium rate, and 0.61 at the low application rate. Among application rates, low rates (1 t ha⁻¹) had the highest DR, followed by medium rates (2 t ha⁻¹) and high rates (3 t ha⁻¹). The no-fertilizer level exhibited higher DR (0.49) compared to the fertilized level (0.38). Results inferred that the application of AB400 °C at 3 t ha⁻¹ can be adopted to minimize soil erosion and maintain ecological security in the temperate Himalayas.

Mulching plays a pivotal role in modern sustainable agriculture, offering a versatile solution to enhance soil quality, improve soil health, conserve resources, and optimize crop performance. This study examined the effects of various mulching materials on soil properties, seasonal variations in soil and environmental variables, and yam production in a tropical environment, with a focus on sustainable agricultural practice. We applied a range of mulch treatments, including black polythene, weedmat, sugarcane straw, organic compost, cowpea-live, juncao grass, sawdust, and a control with no mulch. The results indicated that the organic compost mulch significantly increased soil pH and soil electrical conductivity (EC). The control treatment resulted in the highest soil moisture content, while the highest soil temperature were recorded for the black polythene and organic compost mulch treatments. The organic compost mulch enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) content, soil available phosphorus (SAP) content, and soil exchangeable calcium (SECa) content. The weedmat mulch showed the highest soil exchangeable potassium (SEK) content, and the control treatment exhibited the highest soil exchangeable magnesium (SEMg) and sodium (SENa) content. In terms of micronutrients, the sawdust mulch and black polythene mulch significantly increased soil exchangeable iron (SEFe) and copper (SECu) levels, respectively. Notable seasonal variations in soil pH, temperature, and environmental humidity were observed during the crop period. The soil pH fluctuated from slightly acidic levels in August 2023 to neutral levels in October, and then decreased to slightly acidic levels in early 2024 before stabilizing by March 2024. The soil temperature peaked in November and dropped in January, while the environmental humidity ranged from 48.25% in December to 76.33% in February. The study demonstrated that the organic compost mulch stood out as an advantageous choice because of its capacity to enhance the soil’s properties and offer a balanced nutrient mix, making it particularly beneficial for yam cultivation. It also proved to be a reliable and balanced option to enhance soil quality with stable soil quality indices (SQIs). The weedmat mulch proved to be highly effective in enhancing yam growth and productivity. The weedmat mulch is the most profitable and cost-effective option for yam cultivation, providing the highest net returns and strong financial viability. This study emphasizes the value of choosing the right mulching materials to support soil quality, crop productivity, and economic returns in tropical settings, making strides toward more sustainable farming practices.

Water scarcity is known as a major stumbling block towards crop development and its output all over the world. Certain free-living bacterial strains have been found near the plant root zones which have shown to improve resistance of plants towards water stress. Despite availability of basic nutrients, drought an abiotic factor substantially inhibits growth, development and yield of crops by causing an increase in ethylene levels. It is a good idea to incorporate the use of a management tool which is the utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria to help several crops manage drought conditions. Drought stress in crops can be alleviated by reducing ethylene synthesis, exopolysaccharide, osmoregulation, Indole-3-acetic acid and aggregation with the ACC deaminase-containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Inoculating pathogens like root rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) affected plant with Pseudomonas fluorescens strain TDK1 with ACC deaminase function improves drought stress. Using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria to mitigate the negative imbibes of drought in most crops is a good idea. Several studies have been carried out on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, as its inoculation not only manages drought related conditions but increases root hair growth and lateral root, which assist in increased water and nutrient uptake. It limits ethylene supply, alternatively increases plant root growth by hydrolyzing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). This review will give us a perspective on the importance of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, as it is one of the efficient tools that helps manage drought stress on several crops.