Skip to main content

Sustainable Crop Production System

Abstract

Sustainable crop production refers to agricultural production in such a way that does not impose any harm to environment, biodiversity, and quality of agricultural crops. Producing crops sustainably increases the ability of the system to maintain stable levels of food production and quality for long term without increasing the demand and requirements of agricultural chemical inputs to control the system. Sustainable crop production deals with keeping the soil alive with organic matter, integrated pest management and reduction in usage of pesticides, protecting biodiversity, ensuring food safety and food quality, improving nutrient quality, and fertilizing the soil with organic fertilizers. Sustainable agricultural production leads to lowering of greenhouse gas emission and carbon footprint of overall world. Sustainably produced crops and food are more beneficial to consume by humans as compared to commercial crops. Sustainable usage of resources ensures the pollution-free environment for our future generations. This chapter deals with all the aspects of sustainable crop production and the methods to ensure sustainable production of crops. The chapter also intents to discuss the harmful effects of non-sustainably produced crops and finally this chapter looks forward towards the future protection by sustainable usage of resources and future prospects of sustainability.

Keywords

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
EUR   29.95
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR   117.69
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR   158.24
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
EUR   158.24
Price includes VAT (France)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ahmad AL, Yasin NHM, Derek CJC, Lim JK (2011) Microalgae as a sustainable energy source for biodiesel production: a review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 15:584–593

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC, Sileshi G, Chirwa PW, Chianu J (2011) Fertiliser trees for sustainable food security in the maize-based production systems of East and Southern Africa. In: Sustainable agriculture volume 2. Springer, Netherlands, pp 129–146

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Azadi H, Schoonbeek S, Mahmoudi H, Derudder B, De Maeyer P, Witlox F (2011) Organic agriculture and sustainable food production system: main potentials. Agric Ecosyst Environ 144:92–94

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Badgley C, Moghtader J, Quintero E, Zaken E, Chappell MJ, Aviles-Vaźquez K, Samulon A, Perfecto I (2007) Organic agriculture and the global food supply. Renew Agric Food Syst 22:86–108

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Bakht J, Shafi M, Jan MT, Shah Z (2009) Influence of crop residue management, cropping system and N fertilizer on soil N and C dynamics and sustainable wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Soil Tillage Res 104:233–240

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson J, Ahnström J, Weibull AC (2005) The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: a meta-analysis. J Appl Ecol 42:262–269

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi FJJA, Booij CJH, Tscharntke T (2006) Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control. Proc Biol Sci 273(1595):1715–27. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3530

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Burney JA, Davis SJ, Lobell DB (2010) Greenhouse gas mitigation by agricultural intensification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:12052–12057

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carolan MS (2006) Do you see what I see? Examining the epistemic barriers to sustainable agriculture. Rural Sociol 71:232–260

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cook SM, Khan ZR, Pickett JA (2007) The use of push-pull strategies in integrated pest management. Ann Rev Entomol 52:375–400

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darnhofer I (2005) Organic farming and rural development: some evidence from Austria. Sociol Ruralis 45:308–323

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Darnhofer I, Lindenthal T, Bartel-Kratochvil R, Zollitsch W (2010) Conventionalisation of organic farming practices: from structural criteria towards an assessment based on organic principles. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 30:67–81

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Deguine JP, Ferron P, Russell D (2008) Sustainable pest management for cotton production. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 28:113–137

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Fageria NK, Baligar VC (2008) Ameliorating soil acidity of tropical Oxisols by liming for sustainable crop production. Adv Agron 99:345–399

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer G, Prieler S, van Velthuizen H, Berndes G, Faaij A, Londo M, de Wit M (2010) Biofuel production potentials in Europe: sustainable use of cultivated land and pastures, Part II: Land use scenarios. Biomass Bioenergy 34:173–187

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler R, Rockstrom J (2001) Conservation tillage for sustainable agriculture: an agrarian revolution gathers momentum in Africa. Soil Tillage Res 61:93–108

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Frison EA, Cherfas J, Hodgkin T (2011) Agricultural biodiversity is essential for a sustainable improvement in food and nutrition security. Sustainability 3:238–253

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Garrity DP, Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC, Weldesemayat SG, Mowo JG, Kalinganire A, Larwanou M, Bayala J (2010) Evergreen agriculture: a robust approach to sustainable food security in Africa. Food Secur 2:197–214

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Ghorbani R, Wilcockson S, Koocheki A, Leifert C (2008) Soil management for sustainable crop disease control: a review. Environ Chem Lett 6:149–162

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gold M (2009). What is Sustainable Agriculture. United States Department of Agriculture, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. National Agriculture Library. MD 20705-2351

    Google Scholar 

  • Gosling P, Hodge A, Goodlass G, Bending GD (2006) Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and organic farming. Agric Ecosyst Environ 113:17–35

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs PR (2007) Conservation agriculture: what is it and why is it important for future sustainable food production. J Agric Sci 145:127–137

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs PR, Sayre K, Gupta R (2008) The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363:543–555

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hoeppner JW, Entz MH, McConkey BG, Zentner RP, Nagy CN (2006) Energy use and efficiency in two Canadian organic and conventional crop production systems. Renew Agric Food Syst 21:60–67

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hole DG, Perkins AJ, Wilson JD, Alexander IH, Grice PV, Evans AD (2005) Does organic farming benefit biodiversity? Biol Conserv 122:113–130

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Horrigan L, Lawrence RS, Walker P (2002) How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environ Health Perspect 110:445–456

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Imadi SR, Kazi AG (2015) Extraction of lignin from biomass for biofuel production. In: Hakeem KR, Jawaid M, Othman YA (eds) Agricultural biomass based potential materials. Springer International, Switzerland, pp 391–402

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannson JF, Paul LR, Finlay RD (2004) Microbial interactions in the mycorrhizosphere and their significance for sustainable agriculture. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 48:1–13

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JM-F, Franzluebbers AJ, Weyers SL, Reicosky DC (2007) Agricultural opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Environ Pollut 150:107–124

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston AE, Poulton PR, Coleman K (2009) Soil organic matter: its importance in sustainable agriculture and carbon dioxide fluxes. Adv Agron 101:1–57

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Khan S, Tariq R, Yuanlai C, Blackwell J (2006) Can irrigation be sustainable. Agric Water Manag 80:87–99

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Khanh TD, Chung MI, Xuan TD, Tawata S (2005) The exploitation of crop allelopathy in sustainable agricultural production. J Agron Crop Sci 191:172–184

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2008) Soils and sustainable agriculture. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 28:57–64

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lin BB (2011) Resilience in agriculture through crop diversification: adaptive management for environmental change. Bioscience 61:183–193

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lithourgidis AS, Dordas CA, Damalas CA, Vlachostergios DN (2011) Annual intercrops: an alternative pathway for sustainable agriculture. Aus J Crop Sci 5:396–410

    Google Scholar 

  • Milestad R, Darnhofer I (2003) Building farm resilience: the prospects and challenges of organic farming. J Sustain Agric 22:81–97

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammadi K, Sohrabi Y (2012) Bacterial biofertilizers for sustainable crop production: a review. ARPN J Agric Biol Sci 7:307–316

    Google Scholar 

  • Morison JIL, Baker NR, Mullineaux PM, Davies WJ (2008) Improving water use in crop production. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363:639–658

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mulvaney RL, Khan SA, Ellsworth TR (2009) Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers deplete soil nitrogen: a global dilemma for sustainable cereal production. J Environ Qual 38:2295–2314

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oerke EC (2006) Crop losses to pests. J Agric Sci 144:31–43

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Patil V, Tran KQ, Giselrod HR (2008) Towards sustainable production of biofuels from microalgae. Int J Mol Sci 9:1188–1195

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel D, Hepperly P, Hanson J, Douds D, Seidel R (2005) Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. Bioscience 55:573–582

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Popp A, Lotze-Campen H, Bodirsky B (2010) Food consumption, diet shifts and associated non-CO2 greenhouse gases from agricultural production. Glob Environ Change 20:451–462

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Pretty J, Toulmin C, Williams S (2011) Sustainable intensification in African agriculture. Int J Agric Sustain 9:5–24

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Qadir M, Oster JD (2004) Crop and irrigation management strategies for saline-sodic soils and waters aimed at environmentally sustainable agriculture. Sci Total Environ 323:1–19

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reganold JP, Glover JD, Andrews PK, Hinman HR (2001) Sustainability of three apple production systems. Nature 410:926–930

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rigby D, Cáceres D (2001) Organic farming and the sustainability of agricultural systems. Agric Syst 68:21–40

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rundlöf M, Smith HG (2006) The effect of organic farming on butterfly diversity depends on landscape context. J Appl Ecol 43:1121–1127

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Salekdeh GH, Komatsu S (2007) Crop proteomics: aim at sustainable agriculture of tomorrow. Proteomics 7:2976–2996

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Savary S, Horgan F, Willocquet L, Heong KL (2012) A review of principles for sustainable pest management in rice. Crop Prot 32:54–63

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Singh JS, Pandey VC, Singh DP (2011) Efficient soil microorganisms: a new dimension for sustainable agriculture and environmental development. Agric Ecosyst Environ 140:339–353

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Smith P, Martino D, Cai Z, Gwary D, Janzen HHH, Kumar P, McCarl B, Ogle S, O’Mara F, Rice C, Scholes RJ, Sirotenko O, Howden M, McAllister T, Pan G, Romanenkov V, Schneider U, Towprayoon S (2007) Policy and tecnological constraints to implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation options in agriculture. Agric Ecosyst Environ 118:6–28

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Spiertz JHJ (2010) Nitrogen, sustainable agriculture and food security. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 30:43–55

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sturz AV, Christie BR, Nowak J (2000) Bacterial endophytes: potential role in developing sustainable systems of crop production. Crit Rev Plant Sci 19:1–30

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka DL, Krupinsky JM, Merrill SD, Liebig MA, Hanson JD (2007) Dynamic cropping systems for sustainable crop production in the northern great plains. Agron J 99:904–911

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Thrupp LA (2000) Linking agricultural biodiversity and food security: the valuable role of agrobiodiversity for sustainable agriculture. Int Aff 76:283–297

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D, Balzer C, Hill J, Befort BL (2011) Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:20260–20264

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Triplett GB, Dick WA (2008) No-tillage crop production: a revolution in agriculture. Agron J 100:153–165

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Vermeir I, Verbeke W (2006) Sustainable food consumption: exploring the consumer “attitude-behavioral intention” gap. J Agric Environ Ethics 19:169–194

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Wood R, Lenzen M, Dey C, Lundie S (2006) A comparative study of some environmental impacts of conventional and organic farming in Australia. Agric Syst 89:324–348

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Yang HS (2006) Resource management, soil fertility and sustainable crop production: experiences of China. Agric Ecosyst Environ 116:27–33

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alvina Gul .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Imadi, S.R., Shazadi, K., Gul, A., Hakeem, K.R. (2016). Sustainable Crop Production System. In: Hakeem, K., Akhtar, M., Abdullah, S. (eds) Plant, Soil and Microbes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27455-3_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics