What is/are the advantage/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture?

1. Sowing of wheat without burning the residue of previous crop.

2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.

3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Zero tillage, also known as no-till farming, is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. This practice offers multiple benefits that address key ecological and agricultural challenges.

1. Sowing of wheat without burning the residue of previous crop:
In conventional farming, farmers often burn crop residue (like rice stubble) to clear the field for the next crop (like wheat). In zero tillage, specialized machinery such as the Happy Seeder allows wheat seeds to be sown directly into the soil through the standing residue of the previous crop. This eliminates the need for crop residue burning, reducing air pollution and conserving organic matter.

2. Direct planting of paddy seeds in wet soil without a nursery:
Traditionally, rice cultivation requires growing saplings in a nursery and then transplanting them manually into flooded fields (puddling). Zero tillage enables the direct seeding of rice (DSR) directly into wet or moist soil. This skips the resource-heavy nursery and puddling stages, saving significant amounts of water, labor, and time.

3. Carbon sequestration in the soil:
Tillage accelerates the decomposition of organic matter by exposing soil carbon to oxygen, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By avoiding tillage, soil disturbance is minimized, allowing organic carbon to remain trapped and accumulate in the soil structure. Over time, this leads to effective carbon sequestration, helping to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.