Conservation agriculture practice influences soil organic carbon pools in intensive rice‐based systems of the Eastern Indo‐Gangetic Plain

Abstract Studies of rice‐based systems in the Indo‐Gangetic Plain (IGP) have demonstrated the beneficial effects of Conservation Agriculture on soil organic carbon (SOC) status, along with increased soil health and crop productivity. However, it remains unclear as to the time for such treatments to have a positive effect. In this study of lentil‐mung bean‐rice and wheat‐mung‐rice rotations in Bangladesh positive effects of strip planting or bed planting, along with residue return, on SOC pools were apparent after 1.5 years, compared with intensive conventional tillage and limited residue return. Conventional tillage resulted in higher CO 2 emission compared with strip planting or bed planting as did high residue return. In the cereal‐dominated rotation, the strip planting system sequestered carbon at a…