The present study aimed to appraise the long-term effects of organics, crop residues, and biofertilisers on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools for sustainable crop production and changes in soil quality under long-term organic farming practices. Hence, we studied the soil C and N pools and their sensitivity indices as influenced by a different combination of farmyard manure, vermicompost, biofertilisers, and crop residue of rice, wheat, and mungbean, under long-term rice–wheat–mungbean (RWMCS) and rice–wheat (RWCS) cropping systems in an Inceptisol of India. Total soil organic C increased by 78% and 104% for RWMCS and 94% and 123% for RWCS with FYM + crop residue + biofertilisers and vermicompost + crop residue + biofertilisers, respectively over unfertilised control plots of RWMCS. The highly labile C and microbial biomass C were highly sensitive to management practices compared to total organic C and less labile C fractions. Integrated application of manures and crop residues in FYM + crop residue and VC + crop residue resulted in significantly higher total N, labile N, and mineral N for both cropping systems. Higher values of C and N management indexes were observed with FYM + crop residue + biofertilisers and VC + crop residue + biofertiliser in both cropping systems than other treatments. Integrated use of organic sources had higher N fractions than the unfertilised control plots, indicating that long-term conjoint use of organics, crop residues, and biofertilisers could sustain crop production and soil quality.

Information on phosphorus (P) dynamics in soil is crucial for careful management of phosphorus fertilization in respect to the sustainable development of agriculture in IGP regions. The sorption and desorption of phosphate, different fractions of phosphate, dehydrogenase activity, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity were studied in soils under organic inorganic and integrated nutrient management practices in four different cropping systems. The P adsorption maxima of long-term organic soil was highest (77.52 µg P g⁻¹) under coarse rice-barley-green gram cropping system. The bonding energy of phosphorus in the soil solution varies from 0.38 to 0.20 ml µ⁻¹. Average across the cropping systems, the bonding energy of adsorb P were 68.54% and 39.05% higher under organic and integrated nutrient-managed plots respectively as compared to the inorganic nutrient management. Maximum buffering capacity of phosphate was observed (29.59 ml g⁻¹ soil) under Coarse rice-barley-green gram cropping systems in organic nutrient management practice. Application of organic nutrient management practice increases 26.04% higher water-soluble phosphorus (WSP) as compared to the inorganic nutrient management practice, average across the cropping systems. All other fractions of phosphorus in the soil were higher under inorganic nutrient management that leads to higher amount of total of phosphorus, average across the cropping systems. Long-term application of organic for 14 years increases the bonding energy and adsorption capacity for P in soil but decreased its desorption potential, increasing P availability to the plant and leading to higher P uptake irrespective of cropping systems.

Modern agriculture relies on strategic tillage and soil management to improve soil health, crop yield, and environmental impact. Innovative tillage methods reduce soil disturbance and use alternative soil management methods. Poor tillage reduces soil health and productivity. Some of them include soil erosion, runoff losses, compaction, organic matter deuteration, and nutrient losses. For long-term environmental sustainability, it is important to recognize the risks of improper tillage and implement sustainable soil management methods that reduce soil disturbances, conserve organic matter, improve soil structure, and promote soil stability. In the modern day, mechanization and industrialisation have greatly impacted soil health and ecological balance. This chapter provides a brief review of strategic tillage and soil management concepts, benefits, and challenges. It highlights the shift from traditional tillage to balanced soil management strategies. Strategic tillage improves soil health, conserves resources, decreases erosion, and ensures agricultural resilience and sustainability by limiting soil disturbance, retaining organic matter, and improving fertilizer management. The chapter also highlights aspects cover crops, precision agriculture, and organic farming for soil quality and resource efficiency. This chapter begins to explore the importance and implications of strategic tillage and soil management in modern agriculture.