Soil samples were obtained from a long-term trial conducted on a silty loam at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Modipuram (Meerut), in 2007-2008 to study the effects of various combinations of conventional and zero-tillage (ZT) and raised-bed systems on soil aggregation and associated organic C fractions in the 0-to 5-cm and 5-to 10-cm depth in a rice-wheat {Orysa sativa L-Triticum aestivum L.) rotation.Macroaggregates increased under a ZT rice (direct-seeded or transplanted) and wheat rotation with the 2-to 4-mm fraction greater than that of the 0.25-to 2-mm fraction. Bulk and aggregate associated C increased in ZT systems with greater accumulation in macroaggregates. The fine (0.053-0.25 mm) intra-a^regate particulate organic C (iPOM-C), in 0.25-to 2-mm aggregates, was also higher in ZT than conventional tillage. A higher amount of macroaggregates along with greater accumulation of particulate organic C indicates the potential of ZT for improving soil C over the long-term in rice-wheat rotation.

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Food waste disposal is regarded as a source of contamination in the environment. There is little information on whether food waste compost can be used in agriculture, especially in the subtropics. The study examined the effect of food waste compost on onion (Allium cepa L) cultivation under an open experimental field condition in a subtropical climate. Standard methods were used to analyze the soil physicochemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, soil moisture, water holding capacity, total organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc) of control and treatment plots. Standard methods were used to measure all other morpho-physiological parameters. The plant height, the number of leaves per plant, the length and width of the leaves, the neck diameter, the relative water content of the leaves, the ash content of the leaves, and the root length were all measured. The treatment group had higher soil fertility than the control group. During the experiment, plant height, leaf number, leaf length, and leaf width all increased. Most morphophysio-chemical parameters in the treatment group onion plants were higher than in the control group after harvest. The yield of control plots was 13.64 t ha−1 and the yield of treatment plots was 32.04 t ha−1. Therefore, from this study it might be concluded that the compost from food waste has the potency to increase the soil fertility followed by the higher onion production. Hence, food waste can be used to prepare compost for higher onion production under sub-tropical conditions. Graphical Abstract

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