Ecosystem services of wheat (Triticum aestivum) production with conventional and conservation agricultural practices in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Abstract

Agriculture has short and long-term impacts on the environment affecting the ecosystem services. Agriculture could also have some dis-services, i.e. negative impacts on the environment. An attempt was made to quantify these services and dis-services of conventionally tilled wheat and wheat grown under zero tillage as well as with zero tillage and residue applied treatment. Net as well as green income was calculated for these treatments. The data forquantification of ecosystem services was obtained from an on-farm study conducted at Taraori village of Karnal district of Haryana, India. Economic value of the ecosystem services obtained from conventionally cultivated wheat were Rupees 68381/ha while in zero tilled and residue applied wheat the value of ecosystem services was highest, i.e. Rupees 75253/ha. In conventionally tilled wheat, cost of ecosystem dis-services was Rupees 1072/ha, which reduced to Rupees 1015/ha and Rupees 1009/ha in zero tilled and zero tilled plus residue applied wheat. Green income from conventionally tilled wheat was Rupees 33358/ha, which increased to Rupees 52449/ha in zero tilled wheat and to Rupees 53493 ha in zero tilled and residue applied wheat. The study highlighted the importance of including the ecosystem services and environmental cost in assessing the sustainability of various agricultural practices.