ISSN 2395-1109 Volume: 1, No.: 1, Year: 2015 CROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENT FOR IMPROVING SOIL QUALITY & CROP PRODUCTIVITY IN INDIA Indra Bahadur 1 , V. K. Sonkar 2 , Sanjay Kumar, 3 Jyoti Dixit 1 and Abhishek Pratap Singh 4 1 Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, 2 Department of Mycology and Plant Physiology, 3 Department of Plant Physiology and 4 Department of Extension Education, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi–221 005 Abstract: Crop residues, usually considered a problem, when managed correctly can improve soil organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling, thereby creating a rather favorable environment for plant growth. The intelligent management and utilization of crop residues is essential for the improvement of soil quality and crop productivity under rice-based cropping systems of the tropics. Viable option is to retain residue in the field; burning should be avoided. The major issue is adapting drills to sow into loose residues. Strategies include chopping and spreading of straw during or after combining or the use of disc-type trash drills. Residues rich in lignin and polyphenol contents experience the lowest decay. A part from the higher quantity of rice and wheat residue, the residue of sorghum, maize, barley, chickpea, groundnut, rapeseed and mustard, sugarcane trash, potato, soybean, sunflower and some other minor cereals also contribute substantially towards total amount of about 462.93 million tonnes in India in 1997-98. Three-Forth of the total residue are produced by rice, wheat and oil seed crops and remaining One-Forth are from sugarcane and sorghum. Of the available residue for incorporation 53% are available in Kharif and 47% in Rabi season. The availability of crop residue in India would be 300, 343 and 496 million tonnes in 2000, 2010 and 2025, respectively. Crop residue (CR) is important components of low external input of sustainable agriculture without sacrificing productivity. Crop residue improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Crop residue increased the crop productivity. Crop Residue can be partially substituting the fertilizer nutrient but not completely replacing them. Crop residue has potential to improve fertility status of soil. Introduction: After green revolution natural fertility of the soil has been degraded due to intensive cultivation, use of high doses of chemical fertilizers and insufficient use of organics i.e. farm yard manure, compost, crop residue, green manure, biofertilizers etc. At present time we face many challenges to achieve sustainable food security and quality of food material. In addition to advancing food security and minimizing malnutrition, agriculture must also be an important solution to environmental issues including global warming, non-point source pollution, hypoxia, etc. In this regard, the impact of managing crop residues in conjunction with no-till (NT) farming and conservation agriculture (CA) cannot be over-emphasized. Land is a shrinking resource for agriculture and we have to produce more food to feed the increasing population of the country. For achieving sustainable food security to country, maintenance of soil health is essential. The fertility of soil is highly related with soil organic matter. Organic matter is an important soil constituent influencing a number of constraints linked with crop productivity. It is widely accepted that high soil organic matter means high potential productivity and health of soil. Intensive cropping and tillage system have led to substantial decrease in soil organic matter levels of Indian soil. This decrease in soil organic matter levels seems to be associated with the decline in soil fertility and crop production. Soil organic matter may be maintained by the addition of crop residues. So the crop residues management (CRM) is very important for soil health and crop production. Crop residues are defined as the non economic plant parts that are left in the field after harvest and remains that are generated from packing seed or that are discarded during crop processing. Sustainable agriculture is defined as an agricultural system "capable of maintaining [its] productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, Indian Journal of Agriculture and Allied Sciences A Refereed Research Journal