Plantation Crops and Soil Health Management: An Overview

Plantation crops are perennials, cultivated in a contiguous area in agroecosystems mostly confined to tropical belt, and comprise estate crops which include tea, coffee, and rubber and small holders’ plantation crops, viz., coconut, oil palm, arecanut, cashew, cocoa, and spices. The cultivation of these crops in ecologically vulnerable regions including coastal belts and hilly areas and in locations endowed with high rainfall and high humidity makes the maintenance of soil health a serious challenge. The agroecosystems of plantation crops are confronted with several constraints including multi-nutrient deficiencies, nutrient imbalances, decline in SOM and biological attributes affecting the soil health, and climatic aberrations, which influence the sustainability of production systems. Research programs undertaken in different countries resulted in the development of technologies to improve soil health and to achieve sustainability in production systems of plantation crops. This chapter covers a brief introduction to plantation crops, their production systems, and the strategies for soil health management such as diversification of nutrient sources including inorganic, organic, and bio-fertilizers; conservation agriculture practices; efficient biomass resource recycling practices; agroforestry/cropping/integrated farming systems; and microbiome approaches to achieve sustainable production. Efforts to augment agroecosystem properties through various nature-based technologies would enhance carbon sequestration and soil health in general, finally contributing to sustainability and resilience of this group of crops under adverse weather and edaphic conditions.