Integrating best management practices for rice with farmers’ crop management techniques: A potential option for minimizing rice yield gap

Abstract

The major cereal cropping system in Bangladesh is rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the dry season (Boro) – rice in the wet season (Aman). The average productivity (7tha−1) of this system is far below attainable yields (14tha−1) in farmers’ fields, resulting in a large yield gap mainly due to farmers’ traditional management practices. We evaluated a set of selected best management practices (BMP) along with two N management options in the farmers’ crop management practices for rice in numerous farmers’ fields across 24 villages over 5 contiguous seasons during 2006–2008. Across years, BMP and two N management options increased grain yields compared with the farmers’ practice (FP) by 0.73tha−1 in both Aman and Boro seasons. The higher yield response (24.6% in Aman and 8.6% in Boro season) occurred with BMP in combination with leaf color chart (LCC) aided N management (BMP–LCC) than BMP with Urea Super Granule as N source (BMP–USG). Best management practices and two N management options reduced the yield gap of FP by 45%, with an average of 1.5Mgha−1. The average added net returns with BMP were US$22 to US$120ha−1 in the wet season and US$93 to US$115ha−1 in the dry season. Our study shows that the integration of BMP and either LCC-aided N management or USG as an N source with the farmers’ management techniques and its adoption has the potential to boost rice yield and profit and total rice production in Bangladesh.