Abstract
In Nepal and elsewhere in the Indo-Gangetic plains where rice-wheat is a major crop rotation, interest in conservation practices such as direct-seeding of rice on zero-tilled soil and retention of crop residue is increasing. However, the use of herbicide is increasing in the region due to a shortage of labor and its ease of operation compared to manual weeding. This field experiment was conducted to identify the response of rice to tillage and planting systems, level of wheat residue retention and weed managements under rice-wheat cropping system. This study was conducted during three growing seasons of rice (June through November) in 2014, 2015 and 2016 at the National Wheat Research Program (NWRP), Rupandehi, Nepal. The experiment was conducted in a split-split plot design. Tillage and planting systems were the main plots where rice was either transplanted on puddled field managed with conventional tillage (CT) or direct seeded on zero till (ZT) soil. The level of residue retention was the sub-plot which included three levels of residue retention as whole (WR), partial (PR) or no (NR) retention. Forms of weed management were the sub-sub plots with manual weeding (MW) compared with chemical weeding (CW) through the application of bispyribac-sodium. Each treatment combination consisted of three replicated units. Averaged across the years, grain yield of rice under the CT system (4.8 t ha−1) was significantly higher than ZT (4.4 t ha−1). Increased level of wheat residue retention increased grain yield consistently in all three years. Grain yield was not influenced by systems of weed management. The following conclusions were drawn from the results: (i) rice grain yield might decrease under a direct-seeded ZT system more than the conventional system, (ii) wheat residue retained in the field can increase rice grain yield significantly, and (iii) application of bispyribac-sodium could be equally effective as manual weeding for weed control in both tillage/planting systems of rice.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a principal source of food for more than half of the world population, and ranks third as an agricultural commodity after sugarcane and maize [1]
Tillage and planting systems were the main plots where rice was either transplanted on puddled field managed with conventional tillage (CT) or direct seeded on zero till (ZT) soil
The following conclusions were drawn from the results: (i) rice grain yield might decrease under a direct-seeded ZT system more than the conventional system, (ii) wheat residue retained in the field can increase rice grain yield significantly, and (iii) application of bispyribac-sodium could be effective as manual weeding for weed control in both tillage/planting systems of rice
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a principal source of food for more than half of the world population, and ranks third as an agricultural commodity after sugarcane and maize [1]. Rice contributes one-fifth of total caloric intake by human beings making it an important grain. More than 90% of rice worldwide is grown and consumed in Asia [2]. In Nepal, rice is the first most important cereal crop with. Rice-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major crop rotation in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of South. Asia that spreads over 13.5 million ha in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan [4]. As both crops exhaustively uptake large amounts of nutrients and most of the nutrients in the plants are removed from the fields as harvested crop, the double cropping system heavily depletes soil nutrients [5,6]
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