With continually increasing demand for food accompanied by the constraints of climate change and the availability and quality of soil and water, the world's farmers are challenged to produce more food per hectare with less water, and with fewer agrochemical inputs if possible. The ideas and methods of the system of rice intensification which is improving irrigated rice production are now being extended/ adapted to many other crops: wheat, maize, finger millet, sugarcane, tef, mustard, legumes, vegetables, and even spices. Promoting better root growth and enhancing the soil's fertility with organic materials are being found effective means for raising the yields of many crop plants with less water, less fertilizer, reduced seeds, fewer agrochemicals, and greater climate resilience. In this article, we review what is becoming known about various farmer-centred innovations for agroecological crop management that can contribute to agricultural sustainability. These changes represent the emerging system of crop intensification, which is being increasingly applied in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. More research will be needed to verify the efficacy and impact of these innovations and to clarify their conditions and limits. But as no negative effects for human or environmental health have been identified, making these agronomic options more widely known should prompt more investigation and, to the extent justified by results, utilization of these methodologies.

Inadequate nutrient management is one of the major challenges for sustainable soybean production in semi-arid climatic conditions. Hence, a 3-year (2015–2017) field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of foliar application of macro- and micronutrients on the growth, productivity, and profitability of soybean. Eight foliar nutrient sprays at the pod initiation stage—water spray (WS), 2% urea solution, 2% di-ammonium phosphate solution (DAP2%), 0.5% muriate of potash solution (MOP0.5%), 2% solution of 19:19:19 nitrogen phosphorus and potassium (NPK2%), and a 0.5% solution each of molybdenum (Mo0.5%), boron (B0.5%), chelated-zinc (Zn 0.5%) and no-foliar nutrition (NFN)—were compared with a basal-applied recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 30 kg N, 75 kg P, and 40 kg K ha−1) in a randomized block design (RBD), replicated three times. Foliar-applied chelated Zn@0.5% (Zn0.5%) at the pod initiation stage resulted in more pods per plants. In addition to Zn0.5%, urea2%, NPK2%, and B0.5% significantly improved the pods per plant over treatment by no-foliar nutrition (NFN). The RDF-supplied soybean subsequently sprayed with Zn0.5% produced the highest seed yield, which was 18.5–37.8% higher than that of NFN treatment Yield improvement due to the application of B0.5%, DAP2%, and urea2% varied between 19.2–23.7, 16.6–20.4 and 18.6–20%, respectively. Foliar nutrition showed the largest net returns from Zn0.5%. The water-use efficiency (WUE) and production efficiency increased by 18.4–37.6 and 34.9–37.5%, respectively, due to Zn0.5% over the efficiencies from NFN treatment. Monetary efficiency (ME) gains due to Zn0.5% were 24% higher, while ME efficiency gains due to urea2%, NPK2%, and B0.5% varied between 15–16%. Thus, this study suggested that the foliar application of 0.5% Zn and B, urea, NPK fertilizer, and DAP at 2%, along with RDF. is a profitable nutrient management option for quality soybean production in a semiarid region. However, nutrient partitioning, changes in soil chemical and biological indicators, and environmental aspects need critical examination in future studies.

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Photosynthesis, crop health and dry matter partitioning are among the most important factors influencing crop productivity and quality. Identifying variation in these parameters may help discover the plausible causes for crop productivity differences under various management practices and cropping systems. Thus, a 2-year (2019–2020) study was undertaken to investigate how far the integrated crop management (ICM) modules and cropping systems affect maize physiology, photosynthetic characteristics, crop vigour and productivity in a holistic manner. The treatments included nine main-plot ICM treatments [ICM1 to ICM4 – conventional tillage (CT)-based; ICM5 to ICM8 – conservation agriculture (CA)-based; ICM9 – organic agriculture (OA)-based] and two cropping systems, viz., maize–wheat and maize + blackgram–wheat in subplots. The CA-based ICM module, ICM7 resulted in significant (p < 0.05) improvements in the physiological parameters, viz., photosynthetic rate (42.56 μ mol CO2 m–2 sec–1), transpiration rate (9.88 m mol H2O m–2 sec–1) and net assimilation rate (NAR) (2.81 mg cm–2 day–1), crop vigour [NDVI (0.78), chlorophyll content (53.0)], dry matter partitioning toward grain and finally increased maize crop productivity (6.66 t ha–1) by 13.4–14.2 and 27.3–28.0% over CT- and OA-based modules. For maize equivalent grain yield (MEGY), the ICM modules followed the trend as ICM7 > ICM8 > ICM5 > ICM6 > ICM3 > ICM4 > ICM1 > ICM2 > ICM9. Multivariate and PCA analyses also revealed a positive correlation between physiological parameters, barring NAR and both grain and stover yields. Our study proposes an explanation for improved productivity of blackgram-intercropped maize under CA-based ICM management through significant improvements in physiological and photosynthetic characteristics and crop vigour. Overall, the CA-based ICM module ICM7 coupled with the maize + blackgram intercropping system could be suggested for wider adoption to enhance the maize production in semiarid regions of India and similar agroecologies across the globe.

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Phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) are essential plant nutrients, and their deficiency in soils and the antagonistic effect of P on Zn are important concerns world-over. Thus, a two-year (2012–13 to 2013–14) experimentation was carried out to assess grain yield, nutrient uptake and quality parameters of wheat by various levels of P and Zn. The results revealed that 50% recommended dose of P (RDP) through phospho-enriched compost (PEC) + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil application of 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha−1 + one foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4.7H2O recorded significantly higher grain yield (4.81 and 4.61 t ha−1, respectively), straw yield (7.20 and 6.92 t ha−1, respectively) and protein content (11.5% and 11.3%, respectively). The concentrations of Zn in grain (35.6%) and straw (57.3%) were not affected due to organic P application but 100% P through P fertilizer reduced the Zn content in the grains. Both soil and foliar application of Zn were found to be more promising in increasing Zn and Fe concentration in grains (37.5 and 30.9 mg kg−1, respectively) and straw (60.3 and 398 mg kg−1, respectively). Overall, the treatment combination of 50% RDP through PEC + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil applied 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha−1 + one spray of 0.5% Zn was beneficial in reducing antagonistic effect of P on Zn and increasing Zn and Fe concentration in wheat grain and, thus, could be used for improving the yield of Zn and Fe enriched wheat grains.

Rice is known to be a nutrient exhaustive crop and the application of silicon (Si) has been reported for the better utilization of plant nutrients from the soil. Hence, the response of the plant to phosphorus (P) could be enhanced by co-fertilization of Si and P. The present study evaluates the dry matter production (DMP), grain yield, nutrients uptake, and nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) of Si and P application in aerobic rice (AR). Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), New Delhi, India in a factorial randomized block design (FRBD), the treatments comprised four levels of Si (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg Si ha -1 ) and P (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha -1 ) application. The results revealed the significant effect of Si and P application on DMA, grain yield, and nutrient uptake in AR. The highest DMP and grain yield of AR was found with the combination of 120 kg Si and 90 kg P2O5 ha -1 closely followed by the combination of 80 kg Si and 60 kg P2O5 ha -1 . The rate of increase in DMP due to different doses of Si and P ranged between 7.6-25.6% over control. A strong positive relationship was observed between different doses of Si and P and concentrations and uptakes of different nutrients, barring zinc (Zn). Application of Si and P elevated the grain concentration of Si, nitrogen (N), P, and potassium (K) by 25, 16.5, 47, and 25%, respectively, over control. Overall, the addition of Si and P application in nutrient management could increase the productivity and NUE of AR.