Globally, rainfed regions encounter several constraints that limit crop production. Poor and degraded soils resulting from soil erosion are one among them. We hypothesized that a diversified cropping system in rainfed drylands can reduce soil erosion and improve soil health and crop productivity and meet the food security needs of rainfed farmers. The study aimed to assess potential diversified cropping systems in terms of reducing soil erosion and water and nutrient losses, and increasing crop and systems productivity and profitability. The study was carried out at the Gungal Research Farm of ICAR Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (1705’ N, 7839’E) from 2015 to 16 to 2020–21. The study investigated seven diversified cropping systems (treatments): sorghum + pigeon pea- hedge lucerne, sorghum + pigeonpea- guinea grass, castor- hedge lucerne, castor- guinea grass, sorghum- fodder clusterbean- fodder cowpea- fodder horsegram, sole sorghum, and sole pigeonpea. Multi-criteria assessments were conducted to understand trade-offs related to soil nutrients and their losses, and productivity and profitability of various annual and perennial based systems. Among the various systems evaluated, sole sorghum was the most sensitive to soil erosion, leading to highest amount of nutrient loss in all years (87.5, 47.3, and 9.8 kg N, P and K ha in 2019–20, 102.4, 58.2, 14.2 kg N, P and K ha in 2020–21, and 78.6, 39.2, 6.16 kg N, P and K ha in 2021–22). The perennial based cropping systems with more diverse crops and greater land cover that included sorghum + pigeonpea - guinea grass and sorghum + pigeon pea - hedge lucerne had the lowest amount of nutrient loss. The least cumulative monetary value of nutrient loss was in sorghum + pigeon pea - hedge lucerne (137.11 US$) followed by sorghum + pigeonpea - guinea grass (145.33 US$). The systems with diverse crops reduced runoff and soil erosion, improved soil health, and increased crop and systems productivity and profitability. The trade-offs analysis using the radar graphs also showed lower soil loss and improved soil heath in diversified perennial based cropping systems, resulting in increase in net income to US$1981 for sorghum + pigeonpea - hedge lucerne compared to US$909 for sole sorghum. Perennial based cropping systems with diverse crops can be an effective strategy to reduce soil erosion and improve soil health, and increase crop and systems productivity in rainfed areas of south India. These results have implications to other countries globally with rainfed climate and dryland farming.

中文翻译：

---

多样化的耕作系统，可减少水土流失和养分流失，提高雨养环境中的作物生产力和盈利能力

在全球范围内，雨养地区面临着限制作物生产的多种限制。水土流失造成的贫瘠和退化的土壤就是其中之一。我们假设雨养旱地的多样化种植制度可以减少水土流失，改善土壤健康和作物生产力，并满足雨养农民的粮食安全需求。该研究旨在评估多样化种植系统在减少土壤侵蚀、水和养分损失以及提高作物和系统生产力和盈利能力方面的潜力。该研究于 2015 年至 16 日至 2020-21 年间在 ICAR 旱地农业中央研究所的 Gungal 研究农场（北纬 1705'，东经 7839'）进行。该研究调查了七种多样化的种植系统（处理）：高粱+木豆-篱苜蓿、高粱+木豆-几内亚草、蓖麻-篱苜蓿、蓖麻-几内亚草、高粱-饲料丛豆-饲料豇豆-饲料马格、鳎草、和唯一的木豆。进行了多标准评估，以了解与土壤养分及其损失以及各种一年生和多年生系统的生产力和盈利能力相关的权衡。在评估的各种系统中，高粱对土壤侵蚀最敏感，导致所有年份的养分损失量最高（2019-20年为87.5、47.3和9.8千克氮、磷和钾、102.4、58.2、14.2公顷） 2020-21 年 N、P 和 K 公顷，2021-22 年 N、P 和 K 公顷 78.6、39.2、6.16 千克 N、P 和 K 公顷）。多年生耕作系统具有更多样化的作物和更大的土地覆盖，包括高粱+木豆-几内亚草和高粱+木豆-绿篱苜蓿，其养分损失量最低。养分损失累积货币价值最少的是高粱+木豆-绿篱苜蓿（137.11 美元），其次是高粱+木豆-几内亚草（145.33 美元）。种植多种作物的系统减少了径流和土壤侵蚀，改善了土壤健康，并提高了作物和系统的生产力和盈利能力。使用雷达图进行的权衡分析还显示，在多样化的多年生种植系统中，土壤流失较少，土壤健康得到改善，导致高粱+木豆-对冲苜蓿的净收入增加至 1981 美元，而单一高粱的净收入为 909 美元。多种作物的多年生耕作系统可以成为印度南部雨养地区减少水土流失、改善土壤健康并提高作物和系统生产力的有效策略。这些结果对全球其他雨养气候和旱地农业的国家具有影响。