Dr. Surajit Mondal
@icarrcer.in
Scientist, Division of Land & Water Management
ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Soil organic carbon, No-tillage, Conservation agriculture, Soil physical properties, Soil water conservation
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Santosh Kumar, Sahana Basu, A.K. Choudhary, Shashi Shekhar, J.S. Mishra, Sanjeev Kumar, Kumari Shubha, Rachana Dubey, Surajit Mondal, S.K. Dwivedi,et al.
Elsevier BV
Surajit Mondal, Debashis Chakraborty, Ranjit Kumar Paul, Arun Mondal, and JK Ladha
Elsevier BV
Surajit Mondal and Debashis Chakraborty
Elsevier BV
Rohan Kumar Raman, Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Sudip Sarkar, Jaspreet Singh, Abhay Kumar, Ujjwal Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Akram Ahmed, Anirban Mukharjee, Surajit Mondal,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Surajit Mondal, Rakesh Kumar, Janki Sharan Mishra, Anchal Dass, Sanjeev Kumar, Kumar Varun Vijay, Manisha Kumari, Sana Raza Khan, and Vinod Kumar Singh
Elsevier BV
Sushanta Kumar Naik, Santosh Sambhaji Mali, Bal Krishna Jha, Rakesh Kumar, Surajit Mondal, Janki Sharan Mishra, Arun Kumar Singh, Ashis Kumar Biswas, Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Jaipal Singh Choudhary,et al.
MDPI AG
Rice-fallow systems in South Asian countries play a pivotal role in increasing agricultural production. However, the productivity of these system is largely challenged by deteriorating soil health and limited residual soil moistures in dry-periods, precluding the possibility of winter and/or spring season crops after rice harvest. This investigation explores the possibilities of including winter and/or spring crops through conservation agriculture (CA)-based management practices and evaluates its effect on soil carbon dynamic, system productivity, energy and carbon budgeting. Field experiments were conducted at a farmer’s field in participatory modes at Chene Village, Jharkhand, India, and had five treatments comprising (1) fallow-land [FL]; (2) transplanted puddle rice (TPR)-fallow (winter)-fallow (summer), a typical cultivation practice of this region [RF]; (3) TPR–conventional-till mustard–conventional-till blackgram [CP]; (4) CA with zero-till transplanted rice (ZTTR)-ZT mustard–ZT blackgram [CA1]; (5) CA with zero-till direct seeded rice (ZTDSR)-ZT mustard–ZT blackgram [CA2]. Results revealed that CA2 comprising full CA practice of growing direct seeded rice, mustard and blackgram under ZT increased total soil organic carbon (TSOC) of 0–0.6 m soil layer by 14.3% and 10.3% over RF and CP, respectively. The C-sequestration rate was higher in CA treatments and varied from 0.55 to 0.64 Mg C ha−1 year−1. The system rice equivalent yield in CA2 during the initial four years was lower than CP but it was 23.7% higher over CP in fifth year. The CA-based system (CA2) enhanced the water productivity of rice, mustard and blackgram by 7.0%, 23.6% and 14.1% over CP, respectively. The CA2 treatment, having higher system productivity, better C-sequestration potential, lower C-footprint, higher energy and water productivity has very good potential for sustaining soil health and crop yield of rice-fallow systems.
Rakesh Kumar, Jaipal Singh Choudhary, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Surajit Mondal, Janki Sharan Mishra, Shish Pal Poonia, Saurabh Kumar, Hansraj Hans, Sanjeev Kumar, Anup Das,et al.
Frontiers Media SA
IntroductionConservation agriculture (CA) is gaining attention in the South Asia as an environmentally benign and sustainable food production system. The knowledge of the soil bacterial community composition along with other soil properties is essential for evaluating the CA-based management practices for achieving the soil environment sustainability and climate resilience in the rice-wheat-greengram system. The long-term effects of CA-based tillage-cum-crop establishment (TCE) methods on earthworm population, soil parameters as well as microbial diversity have not been well studied.MethodsSeven treatments (or scenarios) were laid down with the various tillage (wet, dry, or zero-tillage), establishment method (direct-or drill-seeding or transplantation) and residue management practices (mixed with the soil or kept on the soil surface). The soil samples were collected after 7 years of experimentation and analyzed for the soil quality and bacterial diversity to examine the effect of tillage-cum-crop establishment methods.Results and DiscussionEarthworm population (3.6 times), soil organic carbon (11.94%), macro (NPK) (14.50–23.57%) and micronutrients (Mn, and Cu) (13.25 and 29.57%) contents were appreciably higher under CA-based TCE methods than tillage-intensive farming practices. Significantly higher number of OTUs (1,192 ± 50) and Chao1 (1415.65 ± 14.34) values were observed in partial CA-based production system (p ≤ 0.05). Forty-two (42) bacterial phyla were identified across the scenarios, and Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the most dominant in all the scenarios. The CA-based scenarios harbor a high abundance of Proteobacteria (2–13%), whereas the conventional tillage-based scenarios were dominated by the bacterial phyla Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi and found statistically differed among the scenarios (p ≤ 0.05). Composition of the major phyla, i.e., Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were associated differently with either CA or farmers-based tillage management practices. Overall, the present study indicates the importance of CA-based tillage-cum-crop establishment methods in shaping the bacterial diversity, earthworms population, soil organic carbon, and plant nutrient availability, which are crucial for sustainable agricultural production and resilience in agro-ecosystem.
Surajit Mondal, Debashis Chakraborty, Pramila Aggarwal, and Tapas Das
Institute of Agrophysics Polish Academy of Sciences
. Field water balance and root water uptake in wheat were simulated with Hydrus-2D after a 7-year transition to conservation agriculture. The zero-tilled system with a 40% anchored residue improved soil structure and porosity. Water retention was augmented for most of the growing period, especially in the subsurface (15-30 cm), which was essentially a compact layer (penetration resistance >2 500 kPa). The lower soil strength allowed the roots to extend further as compared to conventional tillage. The loss in drainage was reduced by 54-74% over the season using zero tillage with residue. Improved initial crop establishment led to a higher leaf area index and also to an enhanced interception of photosynthetically active radiation. Soil evaporation was also reduced, and root water uptake was 14-17% higher in zero tillage with residue. The grain yield was 17% higher in zero tillage with residue with a marginally higher crop water uptake efficiency. The adoption of conservation agriculture opti - mized water uptake in wheat by the improving physical condition of the soil and plant water availability. Hydrus-2D was used to successfully simulate the soil water balance and root water uptake in wheat under conservation agriculture. Conservation agriculture requires a redesign of irrigation scheduling, unlike in conventional practice. The simulation of water balance in the soil will aid in irrigation water management in the wheat crop in order to achieve a higher degree of efficiency under conservation agriculture.
Santosh Kumar, Sahana Basu, A.K. Choudhary, J.S. Mishra, Surajit Mondal, Shashi Shekhar, S.K. Dwivedi, Rakesh Kumar, Surbhi Kumari, Narayan Bhakta,et al.
Elsevier BV
Rakesh Kumar, Jaipal Singh Choudhary, Janki Sharan Mishra, Surajit Mondal, Shishpal Poonia, Mohammad Monobrullah, Hansraj Hans, Mausam Verma, Ujjwal Kumar, Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractConservation agriculture (CA), which encompasses minimum soil disturbance, residue retention either through crop residue, or cover crops and crop diversification-based crop management practices can modify the status of pest dynamics and activities under the changing climatic scenarios. CA has been advocated extensively to optimize the use of available resources, maintain the environmental quality, enhance crop productivity, and reduce the climate change impacts. Information related to the impacts of long-term CA-production systems under rice-based cropping systems on pest status is lacking, particularly in middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (MIGP). Under CA, puddling is completely avoided, and rice is directly sown or transplanted to maintain better soil health. Different sets of experimentations including farmers practice, partial CA and full CA (CA) as treatments in rice-based cropping systems, were established from 2009, 2015 and 2016 to understand the long-term impacts of CA on pest dynamics. In this study, direct and indirect effects of tillage (zero, reduced and conventional tillage), residue retention and cropping sequences on abundance and damage by pests were investigated. After 4–5 years of experimentation, populations of oriental armyworm [Mythinma (Leucania) (Pseudaletia) separata (Wlk.)] in wheat, mealybug [Brevennia rehi (Lindinger)] and bandicoot rat [Bandicota bengalensis (Gray)] in rice were found to increase abnormally in CA-based production systems. Conventionally tilled plots had a significant negative effect while residue load in zero-tilled plots had a significant positive effect on larval population build-up of M. separata. Zero tillage had a higher infestation of mealybug (52–91% infested hills) that used grassy weeds (Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa crusgalli, Cynodon dactylon, Leptochloa chinensis and Panicum repense) as alternate hosts. Cropping sequences and no disturbance of soil and grassy weeds had higher live burrow counts (4.2 and 13.7 burrows as compared to 1.47 and 7.53 burrows per 62.5 m2 during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively) and damaged tillers (3.4%) in CA-based practices. Based on the present study, pest management strategies in CA need to be revisited with respect to tillage, residue retention on soil surface, grassy weeds in field and cropping sequences to deliver the full benefits of CA in MIGP to achieve the sustainable development goals under the climate change scenarios.
Surajit Mondal and Debashis Chakraborty
Elsevier BV
Kirti Saurabh, Rakesh Kumar, Janki Sharan Mishra, Anil Kumar Singh, Surajit Mondal, Ram Swaroop Meena, Jaipal Singh Choudhary, Ashis Kumar Biswas, Manoj Kumar, Himadri Shekhar Roy,et al.
MDPI AG
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are becoming increasingly important due to their better adaptability to harsh climatic conditions (in general) and the unpredictability of monsoons in India (in particular). Conventional rice cultivation (e.g., PTR) involves intensive tilling followed by intensive puddling in standing water that destroys the soil aggregation and depletes carbon pools. Therefore, alternative crop establishment methods need to be devised for the sustainability of system productivity, and the suitabilities of potential oilseeds and pulses need to be tested for cropping intensification in rice-fallow regions. Hence, an ongoing experiment (implemented in 2016) was evaluated to identify the appropriate CSA management practices in restoring soil C and physical health under diversified cropping systems in the rice-fallow system of eastern India. Six tillage and crop establishment methods along with residue management were kept as the main plots [zero-till-direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR), conventional-till-DSR (CT-DSR), puddled transplanted rice (PTR), ZTDSR with rice residue retentions (ZTDSRR+), CTDSR with rice residue retention (CTDSRR+), PTR with rice residue retention (PTRR+)] while five winter/post-rainy crops (oilseeds and pulses) were raised in a subplot. In the ZTDSRR+ production system, soil macro-aggregate (%), macro-aggregate-associated C, MWD, and GMD of aggregates increased by 60.1, 71.3, 42.1, and 17.1%, respectively, in comparison to conventional tillage practices (PTR). The carbon management index (CMI) was 58% more in the ZTDSRR+ production system compared to PTR. Among the winter crops, chickpeas recorded higher values of soil structural indices and C content. In the PTR production system, system productivity, in terms of rice equivalent yield, was comparable to ZTDSRR+. ZT with residue retention in rice followed by post-rainy/winter pulses led to higher C content and structural stability of the soil. Thus, CSA management practices can improve the crop productivity as well as soil health of rice-fallow production systems of eastern India and comparable agroecotypes of South Asia.
Surajit Mondal, Shalom Christopher, Debashis Chakraborty, and Pranab Kumar Mandal
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sanjeev Kumar, Shivani, Amitav Dey, Ujjwal Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Surajit Mondal, Ajay Kumar, and Manibhushan
Frontiers Media SA
The present investigation was carried out in a holistic mode to study the interactions among the integrated farming system (IFS) components and to develop and design a sustainable IFS model which is technologically sound, economically viable, environmentally benign, and socially acceptable for the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains. For efficient utilization of farm resources and to enhance the income per unit area of land, 10 IFS models have been developed at the farmers’ fields of Patna, Nalanda, and Vaishali districts of Bihar, India, during 2016–2021, involving components like crops, poultry, cattle, goat, mushroom farming, fishery, and duckery in different combinations. Out of 10 different integrations, three primary cropping systems prevailing in the state were undertaken and seven other components were integrated in a synergistic mode. Each system was allocated an area of 0.8 ha (2,000 m²), viz., (i) rice–wheat, (ii) rice–maize, (iii) rice–maize–moong (crop), (iv) crop + vegetable + goat, (v) crop + fish + goat, (vi) crop + fish + cattle, (vii) crop + fish + duck + goat, (viii) crop + fish + duck, (ix) crop + fish + mushroom, and (x) crop + fish + poultry. To sustain the productivity of soil health, inorganic fertilizers combined with organic wastes, obtained from various components of IFS, viz., recycled pond silts, poultry manure, duck manure, goat manure and cow dung as farmyard manures (FYMs), composted residues, and vermicompost were applied to crops grown under different IFS models. The nutrient content of manure increased manifolds after recycling as compost and vermicompost. Residue recycling revealed that integration of crops with fish and duck resulted in higher fish productivity and higher net returns (increased by USD13) in comparison to poultry dropping fed fishes. Due to the recycling of droppings, viz., poultry, duck, goat, cattle, and plant wastes, an additional quantity of 56.5 kg N, 39.6 kg P2O5, and 42.7 kg K2O was added to the soil during the study. Crop integrated with fish + duck + goat had the maximum rice grain equivalent yield (RGEY), net returns, and employment opportunity (467 man-days/year) from 0.8 ha of land, followed by crop + fish + poultry integration. The sustainability index (0.77) and net energy gain (95,770 MJ) were also found highest with crop + fish + duck+ goat integration indicating the optimum efficiency of all the farming system integrations for the region.
RAKESH KUMAR, UJJWAL KUMAR, RAJEEV SINGH, AVINASH KUMAR, DHIRAJ KUMAR SINGH, SURAJIT MONDAL, PREM KUMAR SUNDARAM, ABHAY KUMAR, MD MONOBRULLAH, ROHAN KUMAR RAMAN,et al.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture
There is an urgent need for identification of eco-friendly and cleaner production systems that are more productive, profitable, efficiently use energy/water/carbon input and are environmentally safer. Under that context, a long-term experiment was conducted during 2019–21 at the farmers’ fields of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Gaya, Bihar. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the productivity of diverse cropping systems for irrigated and rainfed conditions. Nine cropping system, viz. transplanted puddled rice (TPR)–wheat (conventional-till)-fallow (farmers practices) [CS1],TPR-wheat(zero-till)-mung (ZT) [CS2], Conventional-till direct seeded rice (CTDSR)-mustard (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS3], ZTDSR-lentil (ZT)-fallow [CS4], Maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS5], Bajra (CT)- lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS6], Bajra (CT)-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS7], TPR-chickpea (ZT)-fallow [CS8] and TPR-maize (CT)-fallow [CS9] were used for the present study. Maximum system productivity was recorded with maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) (13.2 t/ha), which was 46, 3.9, 13.8, 94.7, 22.2, 15.8, 39.5, 11.9% higher compared to CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS6, CS7, CS8 and CS9, respectively. Net returns (`211677/ha) and Benefit cost (B:C) ratio (3.59) were recorded maximum with maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT). Land use efficiency was the maximum with TPR-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT) (92.6%). Carbohydrate equivalent yield was also maximum with TPR-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT). Diversification of rice-wheat system with millets i.e. Bajra (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT)/Bajra (CT)-wheat (ZT)- mung (ZT) improves the system productivity by 19.5–26.1% compared to TPR-wheat (CT)-fallow. Thus, the present study could be important to identify an alternate cropping systems for enhancing the overall system productivity and profitability sustainably through adoption of environment-friendly technologies.
J.S. Mishra, Rakesh Kumar, Surajit Mondal, S.P. Poonia, K.K. Rao, Rachana Dubey, Rohan Kumar Raman, S.K. Dwivedi, Rahul Kumar, Kirti Saurabh,et al.
Elsevier BV
K. K. Rao, S. K. Samal, S. P. Poonia, Rakesh Kumar, J. S. Mishra, B. P. Bhatt, S. K. Dwivedi, S. Mondal, A. K. Choubey, Santosh Kumar,et al.
CSIRO Publishing
Rakesh Kumar, Janki Sharan Mishra, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Surajit Mondal, Ram Swaroop Meena, Saurabh Kumar, Abhishek Kumar Dubey, Govind Makarana, Bal Krishna Jha, Santosh Sambhaji Mali,et al.
Wiley
Rakesh Kumar, Janki Sharan Mishra, Santosh Sambhaji Mali, Surajit Mondal, Ram Swaroop Meena, Rattan Lal, Bal Krishna Jha, Sushanta Kumar Naik, Ashis Kumar Biswas, Hansraj Hans,et al.
Elsevier BV
Sudip Sarkar, Rakesh Kumar, Abhay Kumar, Ujjwal Kumar, Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Surajit Mondal, Narendra Kumawat, Amitesh Kumar Singh, Rohan Kumar Raman, Prem Kumar Sundaram,et al.
Springer Nature Singapore
Rachana Dubey, Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Janki Sharan Mishra, Ashutosh Upadhyaya, Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, Surajit Mondal, Karnena Koteswara Rao, and Abhishek Kumar Dubey
IGI Global
Population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation, and climate change have created huge pressure on freshwater resources to fulfil the demand. Approx. 70-80% of the freshwater supply returns as wastewater, which is difficult to tackle and manage. We need to tackle the freshwater demand from different sectors like domestic, industrial, and agriculture. Most important is how to use the wastewater safely in agriculture. Therefore, it is an apt time to refocus on ways to recycle water especially in sectors like agriculture and for ecosystem services. The major concern in using wastewater in agriculture is its quality as the wastewater may carry pathogens, heavy metals, and many other pollutants, which might reach to human beings and animals via food chain. A solution to wastewater reuse is through bioremediation techniques. Bioremediation should be considered as a feasible and futuristic technology for safe use of wastewater in agriculture as it will reduce the burden on centralised water treatment system as well as it being economic and eco-friendly.
Surajit Mondal and Debashis Chakraborty
Elsevier BV
Surajit Mondal, Janki Sharan Mishra, Shish Pal Poonia, Rakesh Kumar, Rachana Dubey, Santosh Kumar, Mausam Verma, Karnena K. Rao, Akram Ahmed, Sharad Dwivedi,et al.
Wiley
J.S. Mishra, S.P. Poonia, Rakesh Kumar, Rachana Dubey, Virender Kumar, Surajit Mondal, S.K. Dwivedi, K.K. Rao, Rahul Kumar, Manisha Tamta,et al.
Elsevier BV