Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is the most productive region of south Asia. The region witnessed higher growth rates for foodgrain production as compared to other regions of the world. Most of this area is under rice-wheat cropping system, covering a total of 13.5 million hectares in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, growth rates have decreased or stagnated even as there is a wider recognition of environmental issues arising from the intensive and sometimes excessive use of inputs, especially fertilizers and herbicides.|Long-term sustainability of these systems is now a subject of attention. There is a general consensus that quality of natural resource base needs to be improved for enhanced productivity in the eastern IGP. Future productivity growth would increase only through rational risk management strategies in the drought and flood-prone tracts of the eastern Gangetic plains. Resource conserving technologies (RCTs) offer newer opportunities for higher production, saving in inputs and also provide better livelihood for the resource poor, small and marginal farmers of densely-populated eastern Gangetic plains. Zero tillage allows farmers to establish a wheat crop almost immediately after rice harvest, thereby improving yields and input-use efficiency. In eastern Indo-Gangetic plains, 15 November to 10 December is recommended sowing time of wheat. Delay in sowing beyond 15th December reduces yield up to 55%, inspite of all inputs. Conventionally, farmers plough the fields 4-5 times after rice harvest. The soils of this region are generally heavy. Poor drainage, higher water-holding capacity and excess soil moisture do not allow normal ploughing for wheat sowing even after|harvest of rice in late December. The heavy clod formation also creates problem in ploughing. These compelling factors lead to delay in wheat sowing by 15-25 days and thus it goes till mid-January. Resource conservation technologies through zero-till machines were adopted since 2002 on farmers' fields of Sone Canal Command of Patna, Bihar On-farm trials on various second generation RCTs like double-zero tillage, paired row and equal row were conducted in wheat sowing at 162 farmers' fields on 90 ha area of 17 villages during 2007-08. The yields ranged between 3.8 and 4.2 t ha-1 under second generation RCTs in comparison to 2.0-2.4 t ha-1 under conventional non-RCTs fields. During 2004-06, higher yield up to 5 t ha-1 was observed in rotary disc drill where wheat crop was sown in rice residue. The input costs including sowing of wheat in RCTs fields were Rs 6,880 ha-1 in comparison to Rs 11,040 ha-1 in conventional farmers' fields. In addition to saving in inputs, the minimum increase in yield was 1.8 t ha-1 over conventional non-RCTs fields. Biophysical performance, economic gains, resource conservation, effect on weeds, irrigation water and crop vigour; benefits and constraints; yield and social performance and response of stakeholders were also studied.

Borlaug Institute for South Asia|Socioeconomics Program

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INT2677|CGUR01