Chapter 3. Effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on yield, profitability, and soil physical properties under a rice-wheat rotation in the Indo-Gangetic Plains
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ArticleLanguage: English Publication details: Mexico, D.F. : CIMMYT, 2012.Subject(s):
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Compendium of deliverables of the conservation agriculture course 2012 p. 11-20Summary: Rice–wheat rotations (Oryza sativa L.–Triticum aestivum L.) are the major cropping systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, occupying 13.5 million ha. The current conventional practices for growing rice (puddled transplanting) and wheat (conventional tillage) are deteriorating the soil and are input intensive, resulting in declining natural resources, increasing input costs, and reducing profitability. A field trial was conducted at the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology (SVPUA&T), Meerut (UP), India for 2 years .The trial was carried out to study the effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on yield, profitability and soil physical properties in a rice–wheat rotation. The six tillage and crop establishment treatments included puddled transplanting (conventional, rotavator) and direct seeding of rice (DSR; with or without tillage) followed by wheat in (conventional tillage; CT and zero tillage; ZT). Tillage and crop establishment practices significantly influenced the physical properties of soil. Average infiltration was highest (0.10 cm hr-1) in ZT DSR-ZT DSW and lowest in farmers’ practice (FP) of puddling and CT (0.05 cm hr-1). The bulk density of the16–20 cm soil layer was the highest in FP-FP (1.73 t m-3) and lowest in the double no-till (ZT DSR-ZT HSW) treatment (1.70 t m-3). Average rice yield was highest in RT TPR-ZT DSW (4.13 t ha-1) and lowest in farmers’ practice, FP-FP (3.70 t ha-1). Direct seeded rice (ZT and CT) had a higher grain yield (5%) than FP of transplanted rice (CT-TPR).Wheat yield, on average, was 23% higher in zero till with residue (ZT DSR-ZT HSW) than FP of conventional tillage (FP-FP). Overall, ZT DSR-ZT HSW had the highest net returns (approximately US$2,017) and FP-FP had the lowest (approximately US$1,474) in the rice–wheat system. Our results from the 2 year study show that the conventional practice of transplanting and tillage could be successfully replaced by double no till (conservation agriculture) in a rice–wheat rotation. However, future work towards the fine tuning of ZT, particularly on rice and wheat varieties selected specifically under no till conditions, is important for the sustainability of the conservation agriculture system.
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Rice–wheat rotations (Oryza sativa L.–Triticum aestivum L.) are the major cropping systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia, occupying 13.5 million ha. The current conventional practices for growing rice (puddled transplanting) and wheat (conventional tillage) are deteriorating the soil and are input intensive, resulting in declining natural resources, increasing input costs, and reducing profitability. A field trial was conducted at the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology (SVPUA&T), Meerut (UP), India for 2 years .The trial was carried out to study the effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on yield, profitability and soil physical properties in a rice–wheat rotation. The six tillage and crop establishment treatments included puddled transplanting (conventional, rotavator) and direct seeding of rice (DSR; with or without tillage) followed by wheat in (conventional tillage; CT and zero tillage; ZT). Tillage and crop establishment practices significantly influenced the physical properties of soil. Average infiltration was highest (0.10 cm hr-1) in ZT DSR-ZT DSW and lowest in farmers’ practice (FP) of puddling and CT (0.05 cm hr-1). The bulk density of the16–20 cm soil layer was the highest in FP-FP (1.73 t m-3) and lowest in the double no-till (ZT DSR-ZT HSW) treatment (1.70 t m-3). Average rice yield was highest in RT TPR-ZT DSW (4.13 t ha-1) and lowest in farmers’ practice, FP-FP (3.70 t ha-1). Direct seeded rice (ZT and CT) had a higher grain yield (5%) than FP of transplanted rice (CT-TPR).Wheat yield, on average, was 23% higher in zero till with residue (ZT DSR-ZT HSW) than FP of conventional tillage (FP-FP). Overall, ZT DSR-ZT HSW had the highest net returns (approximately US$2,017) and FP-FP had the lowest (approximately US$1,474) in the rice–wheat system. Our results from the 2 year study show that the conventional practice of transplanting and tillage could be successfully replaced by double no till (conservation agriculture) in a rice–wheat rotation. However, future work towards the fine tuning of ZT, particularly on rice and wheat varieties selected specifically under no till conditions, is important for the sustainability of the conservation agriculture system.
Conservation Agriculture Program
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INT3262|INT3072
CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection
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