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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Productivity-emission trade-offs across conventional, organic and natural farming in rice-wheat systems of northwest India

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14598
Submitted
19 March 2026
Published
22-07-2026

Abstract

Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in intensively cultivated rice-wheat systems in northwestern India, where management practices strongly influence emission intensity and mitigation potential. This study compared GHG emissions under conventional, organic and natural farming across 27 locations in Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Karnal districts within a single agroclimatic zone over two cropping years (2023–24) for rice and wheat. Data was analysed using cool farm tool (CFT), supported by field surveys, soil physicochemical characterisation and yield records. Findings showed clear differences among farming practices. Conventional had the highest emissions, 83.47 % and 36.5 % in rice and wheat. Organic reduced emissions to 31.9 % and 9.35 % while, natural recorded the
lowest emissions at 31.6 % in rice and 7.18 % in wheat across both years. Rice cultivation emerged as the dominant contributor to total emissions, with Kurukshetra contributing the greatest amount (36.16 %), followed by Kaithal (32.44 %) and Karnal (31.40 %) across both the years and crops. The productivity of rice yields is 18 % lower under organic and 8.99 % lower under natural as compared to conventional farming. Wheat productivity declined by 16.38 % under organic and 40 % under natural relative to conventional farming. These findings highlight the trade-offs between productivity and environmental performance. While conventional maximise yields, natural farming presents a greater potential for GHG mitigation and reduced environmental footprints, supporting long-term sustainability in rice-wheat production
systems and informing climate-smart agricultural practices and also supports policy initiatives that promote sustainable, climate-smart farming strategies for future food production systems.

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