{"id":58812,"date":"2025-11-10T20:35:34","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=58812"},"modified":"2025-11-11T12:53:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T07:23:05","slug":"soil-health-impacted-by-climate-change-and-fertilizer-imbalance-icar-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-11-2025\/soil-health-impacted-by-climate-change-and-fertilizer-imbalance-icar-study","title":{"rendered":"Soil Health Impacted By Climate Change and Fertilizer Imbalance: ICAR Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the <strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)<\/strong> has revealed alarming evidence that <strong>unscientific fertilizer use<\/strong> and <strong>climate change<\/strong> are causing significant <strong>degradation of organic carbon<\/strong> in India\u2019s arable soils.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unbalanced Fertiliser Use: <\/strong>The study found that <strong>imbalanced and excessive fertiliser use<\/strong>\u2014particularly of <strong>urea and phosphorus<\/strong>\u2014has degraded soil carbon levels.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Haryana, Punjab, and Western Uttar Pradesh<\/strong> showed the most severe declines due to intensive, unscientific fertilisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bihar<\/strong>, with more balanced fertiliser application, exhibited <strong>better soil carbon health.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Correlation Between Organic Carbon and Elevation: <\/strong>Soils in <strong>hilly regions<\/strong> contain higher organic carbon, whereas <strong>lowland soils<\/strong> exhibit depletion.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Low soil carbon leads to <strong>increased heat reflection<\/strong>, amplifying the <strong>greenhouse effect<\/strong> and <strong>global warming<\/strong> risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Temperature\u2019s Negative Impact: <\/strong>The study warns that <strong>rising temperatures<\/strong> could further <strong>reduce soil organic carbon<\/strong>, worsening <strong>soil health<\/strong> and <strong>climate impacts<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hotter regions such as <strong>Rajasthan and Telangana<\/strong> showed lower <strong>soil organic carbon (SOC) content<\/strong> due to accelerated organic matter decomposition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Influence of Rainfall and Cropping Systems<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rice and pulse based systems<\/strong> maintain higher carbon levels due to increased microbial activity from water-intensive cultivation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wheat and coarse-grain systems<\/strong> showed lower carbon levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Why Soil Health Matters?<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Supports Agriculture:<\/strong> Over 54% of India\u2019s workforce depends directly or indirectly on agriculture.<br>&#8211; Healthy soil ensures higher crop yields and better nutritional quality.<br>&#8211; <strong>Food Security: <\/strong>Soil rich in organic matter and nutrients produces more resilient and nutritious crops.<br>&#8211; <strong>Environmental Balance:<\/strong> Healthy soils regulate water, store carbon, and support biodiversity and act as a buffer against floods, droughts, and climate change impacts.<br>&#8211; <strong>Economic Impact:<\/strong> Poor soil health leads to reduced productivity, increased input costs, and long-term land degradation\u2014affecting farmers\u2019 incomes and national GDP.<br><img data-dominant-color=\"e3daca\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"268\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-58863\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3daca; width: 450px;\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Layers-Horizons-of-Soil-Profile.webp\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Layers-Horizons-of-Soil-Profile.webp 693w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Layers-Horizons-of-Soil-Profile-300x178.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><br><strong>Image: Layers (Horizons) of Soil Profile<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Efforts &amp; Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme (2015):<\/strong> It aims to provide every farmer with a detailed report on the nutrient status of their soil. It aims to promote balanced and judicious use of fertilizers.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government has strengthened soil testing facilities to support the SHC scheme, like <em>Mobile Soil Testing Labs, School Soil Health Programme, and Digital Tracking.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil Health Management (SHM):<\/strong> It is a part of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), aims to promote integrated nutrient management and organic farming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integration with Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): <\/strong>SHC and SHM schemes have been merged into the<strong> Soil Health &amp; Fertility component of RKVY<\/strong> for better coordination and impact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Policy Recommendations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Organic Carbon Sequestration Programs: <\/strong>Promote sequestration in soils with less than <strong>0.25% organic carbon<\/strong> through improved cropping systems and irrigation support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Carbon Credit Incentives:<\/strong> Encourage farmers who <strong>trap and store carbon dioxide<\/strong> in soil through sustainable practices by offering <strong>financial incentives<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate-Resilient Crop Management:<\/strong> Develop <strong>region-specific crop management strategies<\/strong> for climate change mitigation and soil restoration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nationwide Vegetative Cover:<\/strong> Expand <strong>plantations and cover crops<\/strong> to reduce soil exposure and carbon loss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ICAR study underscores an urgent need for <strong>balanced fertiliser use<\/strong>, <strong>adaptive cropping systems<\/strong>, and <strong>climate-responsive soil management<\/strong> to restore and preserve India\u2019s soil organic carbon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The continuing decline could threaten <strong>food security<\/strong>, <strong>land productivity<\/strong>, and <strong>climate stability<\/strong> in the years ahead without corrective action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/climate-change-imbalance-in-fertiliser-use-kill-soils-organic-carbon-icar-study\/article70257059.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has revealed alarming evidence that unscientific fertilizer use and climate change are causing significant degradation of organic carbon in India\u2019s arable soils.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Unbalanced Fertiliser Use: The study found that imbalanced and excessive fertiliser use\u2014particularly of urea and phosphorus\u2014has degraded soil carbon levels.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Haryana, Punjab, and Western Uttar Pradesh showed the most severe declines due to intensive, unscientific fertilisation.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Bihar, with more balanced fertiliser application, exhibited better soil carbon health.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Correlation Between Organic Carbon and Elevation: Soils in hilly regions contain higher organic carbon, whereas lowland soils exhibit depletion.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-11-2025\/soil-health-impacted-by-climate-change-and-fertilizer-imbalance-icar-study\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58812"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58865,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58812\/revisions\/58865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}