Rice-based Cropping Systems Research Articles

Impact of different farming scenarios on key soil sustainability indicators driving soil carbon and system productivity of rice-based cropping systems

Impact of different farming scenarios on key soil sustainability indicators driving soil carbon and system productivity of rice-based cropping systems

High-yield rice with rich nutrition and low toxicity can be obtained under potato-rice cropping system.

Rice is often rotated with dryland crops to produce sufficient foodstuff, as rice is the main food crop of humans. In order to verify whether under the intensive rice-based cropping system, high yield and good quality of rice can be achieved simultaneously to ensure food security. Five long-term paddy-upland rotations - wheat-rice (WR), rapeseed-rice (RR), garlic-rice (GR), broad beans-rice (BR) and potato-rice (PR) - were conducted from 2014 to investigate rice yield, along with the profiling of 24 elements in rice grain. Mg, Zn, Cu, As, Mo and Sb concentrations were highest in the aleurone layer, and Ag and Cd concentrations showed little variation among different parts of the rice grain. Al, Ti, V, Si, Fe and Tl concentrations in the endosperm under GR were higher, while the Se concentration under PR was the highest. Furthermore, the yield of GR and PR were higher than the other three rotations with N supplementation, and the sustainable yield index of PR and WR were larger than 0.8. When we consider the concentration of toxic (As, Cd and Pb) and nutrient elements (Ca, Fe, Zn, Se, Cu and Mg) in the endosperm and grain yields, PR can simultaneously achieve high yield, high nutrition and low toxicity with different nitrogen treatments. Here we provide novel insights regarding the selection of rice-based cropping systems, focused on producing nutritious and safe rice with high grain yield. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Maximizing Growth and Yield Components: Comparative Analysis of Surface and Subsurface Drip Irrigation in Intensively Farmed Rice Systems

Water scarcity is a critical issue in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, necessitating efficient irrigation methods in agriculture. This study evaluated the effectiveness of surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems in direct-seeded rice (DSR) followed by zero-till wheat or maize, compared to conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) systems. The two-year experiment, conducted at the International Rice Research Institute's South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi, India, employed a randomized complete block design with eight treatments. Results showed that DSR followed by zero-till wheat with subsurface drip irrigation at 60-cm spacing significantly outperformed other treatments. This system increased rice grain yield by 6.52% and 18.82%, straw yield by 7.68% and 13.45%, and total biomass by 8.30% and 9.73% in 2020 and 2021, respectively, compared to PTR followed by zero-till wheat. Subsurface drip irrigation also led to improved plant growth parameters, including plant height and number of tillers, and enhanced yield attributes such as number of panicles and filled grains per panicle. The study concludes that subsurface drip irrigation in DSR systems offers a promising solution for sustainable intensification and efficient use of water and energy in rice-based cropping systems. However, long-term, multi-location trials are recommended to establish precise water and energy savings under various conditions.

Retention of Crop Residue Increases Crop Productivity and Maintains Positive Sulfur Balance in Intensive Rice-Based Cropping Systems

Retention of Crop Residue Increases Crop Productivity and Maintains Positive Sulfur Balance in Intensive Rice-Based Cropping Systems

Options for Intensification of Cropping System in Coastal Saline Ecosystem: Inclusion of Grain Legumes in Rice-Based Cropping System

The coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India is the home to millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Due to a gradual increase in salt accumulation on soils of the coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India from winter to summer days, cultivation of the second crop in the winter season becomes possible in a limited area. To address these issues, field experiments was conducted in rainy and winter seasons of 2016–17 and 2017–18 at the farmer’s field of the coastal saline zone (CSZ) of West Bengal, India. The experiment was carried out to study the system productivity, nutrient uptake, and profitability vis-à-vis salinity dynamics of the crops in rice-pulse-based cropping systems under different land elevations (medium upland and medium lowland). The experiment was conducted in a strip-split plot design having horizontal factors namely, Factor A: Six dates of sowing of rice at an interval of one week (2nd week of June to 3rd week of July), Factor B: Two land situations (medium upland and medium lowland) and Two Cropping Systems (Rice-Lathyrus and Rice-Lentil) as vertical factor, replicated four times. The results suggest that irrespective of land situation, early sown rice (15 June to 21 June) produces higher dry matter and grain yield compared to late sown crops. This early sowing of rice also facilitated the better performance of subsequent lathyrus and lentil, by avoiding the worst situation of the salinity build-up and drought stress later in the winter. Moreover, significantly higher productions were obtained from medium-lowland situations for both the cropping systems. Sowing date has also significantly influenced macro-nutrient uptake (NPK) by rice and pulse grains. It may be concluded that early sowing of rice may be a potential option for intensification of rice-pulse-based cropping systems under CSZ of West Bengal, India.

Tillage practices on soil penetration resistance, soil infiltration, percolation and yield of rice (Oryza sativa) in rice-based cropping system

The experiment was conducted during 2019–23 at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore), Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu to analyse the effect of conservation tillage methods on bulk density, soil penetration resistance and soil infiltration rate of clay soil and rice yield in rice-based cropping system. Experiment consisted of three tillage practices, viz. conventional tillage/puddling (CT); zero tillage (ZT); and minimal tillage/dry ploughing (MT) and two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (ADT 43 and CORH 3), replicated four times. The result of the study revealed that the bulk density was significantly lower with zero tillage due to presence of crop residues and addition of organic matter. The mean infiltration rate under zero tillage was 0.16 cm/h as compared to puddling (0.14 cm/h) and dry ploughing (0.20 cm/h). The study further showed that the mean soil percolation rate was significantly altered by the tillage methods and soil percolation rate was 0.12 cm/h in zero tillage as compared to puddling (0.10 cm/h) and dry ploughing (0.16 cm/h). In contrary to the other physical properties, the soil penetration resistance was in the order of dry ploughing>zero tillage>puddling. The mean soil penetration resistance under zero tillage was reduced from 690–500 Kpa, 740–600 Kpa and 760–620 Kpa respectively at 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm depth as compared to puddling. The results further indicated that the yield parameters and rice did not differ among the different tillage practices.

Prediction of Soil Quality Index (SQI) and Its Minimum Dataset Indicators for Rice-Based Cropping Systems in the North Bank Plain Zone of Assam

Prediction of Soil Quality Index (SQI) and Its Minimum Dataset Indicators for Rice-Based Cropping Systems in the North Bank Plain Zone of Assam

Identifying a sustainable rice-based cropping system via on-farm evaluation of grain yield, carbon sequestration capacity and carbon footprints in Central China

ContextRice-based cropping system is a major anthropogenic source of direct greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, agricultural inputs also produces numerous indirect GHG emissions and environmental problems. Identification of rice cropping systems with lower GHG emissions and higher grain yields is of great significance to ensure food security while minimizing agricultural carbon footprint (CF). ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the optimal rice-based cropping system with lower greenhouse effects and comparable annual yield in central China. MethodsUsed life cycle assessment, a two-year field experiment was performed to evaluate the direct and indirect GHG emissions, CF, and carbon sequestration capacity in the six rice-based cropping systems widely used in central China, which consisted of fallow-early rice-late rice, rapeseed-early rice-late rice, fallow-ratoon rice, rapeseed-ratoon rice (RRaR), fallow-middle rice, and rapeseed-middle rice. ResultsThe results showed that compared with the three systems with fallow season, the three systems with rapeseed had lower annual CH4 emissions. The two systems with ratoon rice had lower annual indirect and direct GHG emissions than the two systems with double rice. The three systems with rapeseed had higher annual biomass, grain yields, and fixed carbon in biomass and significantly lower CF than the three systems with fallow season, and RRaR had the highest value of fixed carbon in biomass. The systems with ratoon rice had lower average CF than those systems with double rice. CH4 emissions from paddy fields were the primary source of total annual GHG and the main component of CF. Compared with the three systems with fallow season, the three systems with rapeseed had significantly higher annual carbon sequestration capacity based on net ecosystem production (NEP). Ratoon rice systems had higher average NEP than double- and middle-rice systems. RRaR had the lowest CF per unit yield and highest NEP among all the six systems. ConclusionsThe results indicated that appropriate rice-based cropping systems may alleviate the greenhouse effect via reducing GHG emissions and enhancing paddy NEP, RRaR could achieve relatively higher annual grain yield and carbon sequestration capacity as well as lower CF. SignificanceThis study highlight conversion of double rice and middle rice systems to RRaR may help improve grain yield and mitigate greenhouse effect. The findings may provide a theoretical basis for selection of sustainable development of rice based cropping systems in central China.

Potassium Release Parameters and their Relation with Yield of Rice Based Cropping Systems in Bapatla District, India

An investigation was carried out to study the different potassium release parameters in rice based cropping systems (viz. Rice-Pulse, Rice-Groundnut, Rice-Maize and Rice-Sorghum cropping systems) of Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh and their relation with rice yield and rice equivalent yield of different cropping systems. Step-K values in Rice-Pulse, Rice-Groundnut, Rice-Maize and Rice-Sorghum cropping systems was in the range of 505-1266, 414 -884, 742-1296 and 776-1369 mg kg-1 with the mean values of 954, 563, 965 and 1067 mg kg-1, respectively. Constant-K values in Rice-Pulse, Rice-Groundnut, Rice-Maize and Rice-Sorghum cropping systems was in the range of 17-28, 11-22, 17-25and 14-27mg kg-1 with the mean values of 23, 17, 21 and 20 mg kg-1, respectively. Cumulative-K values in Rice-Pulse, Rice-Groundnut, Rice-Maize and Rice-Sorghum cropping systems was in the range of 607-1466, 480-1038, 889-1496 and 930-1585 mg kg-1 with the mean values of 1119, 672, 1123 and 1223 mg kg-1, respectively. The highest potassium release parameters such as step-K and cumulative K observed in rice-sorghum cropping system and the lowest in rice-groundnut cropping system. Lower amounts of cumulative K were observed in all soils except in soils of Kodiparru and Ananthavaram villages under present investigation. Lower cumulative K and continuous cropping would lead to depletion of soil K reserves and result in K deficiency. Among the K release i.e cum- K and step K obtained with boiling 1N HNO3 showed maximum positive and significant correlation with rice yield and rice equivalent yield while, constant K showed minimum correlation.

Hydrologic variability governs GHG emissions in rice-based cropping systems of Eastern India

Reducing methane (CH4) emissions is increasingly recognized as an urgent greenhouse gas mitigation priority for avoiding ecosystem ‘tipping points’ that will accelerate global warming. Agricultural systems, namely ruminant livestock and rice cultivation are dominant sources of CH4 emissions. Efforts to reduce methane from rice typically focus on water management strategies that implicitly assume that irrigated rice systems are consistently flooded and that farmers exert a high level of control over the field water balance. In India most rice is cultivated during the monsoon season and hydrologic variability is common, particularly in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) where high but variable rainfall, shallow groundwater, and subtle differences in topography interact to create complex mosaics of field water conditions. Here, we characterize the hydrologic variability of monsoon season rice fields (n = 207) in the Indian EGP (‘Eastern India’) across two contrasting climate years (2021, 2022) and use the Denitrification Decomposition (DNDC) model to estimate GHG emissions for the observed hydrologic conditions. Five distinct clusters of field hydrology patterns were evident in each year, but cluster characteristics were not stable across years. In 2021, average GHG emissions (8.14 mt CO2-eq ha−1) were twice as high as in 2022 (3.81 mt CO2-eq ha−1). Importantly, intra-annual variability between fields was also high, underlining the need to characterize representative emission distributions across the landscape and across seasons to appropriately target GHG mitigation strategies and generate accurate baseline values. Simulation results were also analyzed to identify main drivers of emissions, with readily identified factors such as flooding period and hydrologic interactions with crop residues and nitrogen management practices emerging as important. These insights provide a foundation for understanding landscape variability in GHG emissions from rice in Eastern India and suggest priorities for mitigation that honor the hydrologic complexity of the region.

Weed Diversity and their Management in Major Rice-based Cropping Systems in India

Weed Diversity and their Management in Major Rice-based Cropping Systems in India

Differences in productivity and soil properties in rice-based cropping systems under long-term organic, integrated and conventional production

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of four rice-based cropping systems (rice-vegetable pea + coriander; rice-chickpea + coriander; rice-potato and rice-wheat) cultivated in long-term organic, integrated and conventional production systems on system productivity (SP), soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and soil properties. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with the production system assigned to the main plots and the cropping system to sub-plots. The results revealed that SP, SOC content and SOC sequestration in the organic system were significantly higher than in the conventional counterpart (17.1%, 59.4% and 165.9% higher, respectively). The fractions of total organic carbon followed the order: very labile carbon > non-labile carbon > labile carbon > less labile carbon. The soil in the organic system had, in general, the most improved physical (water holding capacity, bulk density), chemical (available N, P, K and S, and DTPA-extractable Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) and biological properties (dehydrogenase and acid and alkaline phosphatase activity), especially when compared with the conventional system. The legume-based cropping systems (rice-chickpea + coriander and rice-vegetable pea + coriander) enhanced the SP, SOC content and SOC sequestration by 22.6% and 46.5%, 16.3% and 11.9% and 47.5% and 29.4%, respectively, compared with the rice-wheat cropping system, with improvements also in different physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Thus, organic system with legume-based cropping (rice-chickpea + coriander and/or rice-vegetable pea + coriander) was concluded to sustain crop productivity and have greater soil carbon sequestration potential in the longer term.

Effect of Residue and Nutrient Management on Productivity, Profitability and Greenhouse Gas Emission of Cowpea in Intensified Rice-Based Cropping Systems

Effect of Residue and Nutrient Management on Productivity, Profitability and Greenhouse Gas Emission of Cowpea in Intensified Rice-Based Cropping Systems

Do rotation and fertilization practices shape weed communities and affect rice yield in low input rainfed agroecosystems in the Malagasy highlands?

Weeds are a major threat in tropical regions where climate conditions favor their growth and development. This is particularly true in low-input rice-based cropping systems in the Malagasy highlands, where weed management is mainly done by manual removal. Crop rotation is often promoted as an efficient way to control weed infestations, while the role of fertilization is more controversial. In this study, we compared rice monoculture to three rainfed rice-based two-year rotations: rice followed by groundnut, rice followed by sorghum-cowpea mixture, and rice followed by a velvet-bean crotalaria mixture. Each rotation was tested with two levels of fertilization (5 t DM ha−1 organic manure, sole or in combination with mineral fertilizer - 400 kg ha−1 NPK + 200 kg ha−1 urea). We assessed the effect of rotation and fertilization on weed composition, diversity, biomass and rice yield. Additionally, the farmers’ perception of weed harmfulness and the relation between their assessment of weed harmfulness and rice production was tested. Our results showed that weed biomass significantly decreased rice yield but only under the low fertilization level. The rotation of rice with the velvet bean-crotalaria mixture was efficient in reducing weed biomass, modified weed community composition and allowed to achieve the highest rice yield. A significant negative relationship was found between weed community harmfulness index and weed species richness. Yet, the lowest rice yield was observed under rice monoculture despite a higher species richness over years and under high fertilization level. The lack of significant correlation between the harmfulness index and the actual rice yield is probably because our index is partly based on farmer’s perception, and only on major weeds. More studies on tropical weed harmfulness are needed to support the design of ecologically intensified cropping systems.

Long-term Effects of Zinc, FYM, and their Combination on Soil Chemical Properties in Rice-based Cropping Systems

Long-term Effects of Zinc, FYM, and their Combination on Soil Chemical Properties in Rice-based Cropping Systems

Spatiotemporal Shift of Soil Microbes in Conservation Agriculture under a Rice-Based Cropping System at the New Alluvial Zone of Lower Gangetic Plain

Spatiotemporal Shift of Soil Microbes in Conservation Agriculture under a Rice-Based Cropping System at the New Alluvial Zone of Lower Gangetic Plain

Carbon footprint research and mitigation strategies for rice-cropping systems in China: a review

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and quantifying the carbon footprint (CF) of rice-cropping systems in the context of food security is an important step toward the sustainability of rice production. Exploring the key factors affecting emission reduction in rice production is important to properly evaluate the impact of China’s rice-cropping systems on global climate change. This review provides an overview of the direct and indirect CF in rice-cropping systems; analyzes the influencing factors in terms of rice-based cropping systems, varieties and agronomic practices; and proposes mitigation strategies. Different studies have shown that direct and indirect GHG emissions in rice-based cropping systems accounted for 38.3 to 95.5% and 4.5 to 61.7% of total emissions, respectively. And the CFs of ratoon rice, rice–wheat, rice–maize, rice–rapeseed, and rice–fish systems ranged from 316,9 kg CO2-eq kg−1 to 258,47 kg CO2-eq kg−1, which are lower than that in a double-rice planting system. High-yielding rice, drought-resistant rice, and other hybrids can mitigate GHG emissions from paddy fields by 3.7 ~ 21.5%. Furthermore, organic matter, water, tillage, straw incorporation, conservation tillage, reduced nitrogen fertilizer use, and added biochar and methane inhibitors could reduce emissions. Therefore, through reasonable agronomic measures, variety selection and optimal layout of rice-based rotation systems, the carbon neutral rate of rice production can be improved to help the national carbon sequestration and emission reduction target.

Determinants of farmers’ fertilizer use gaps under rice-based cropping systems: Empirical evidence from Eastern Gangetic Plain

Unbalanced fertilizer use is a major reason for crop yield gaps but the fertilizer use gaps (overuse or underuse) are complex to quantify in intensive cropping systems. The quantification of nutrient use gaps relative to government-endorsed fertilizer recommendations could be a measure of the extent to which unbalanced fertilizer contributes to yield gaps, but this is rarely examined especially for intensive cropping systems. We, for the first time, identified the determinants of farmers’ fertilizer use gaps under diverse rice-based cropping system. We have surveyed a total of 412 farms, separated into three farm sizes (small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale farms), in intensive rice-based cropping systems in four diverse Agro-ecological Zones of the Eastern Gangetic Plain. Principal component analysis was used to examine how the explanatory variables related to one another. Then considering the nutrient gaps from both overuse and underuse, the beta regression model was used to identify the determinants of N, P, K and overall nutrient use gaps. The results indicate that gender, education, farm sizes, off-farm income, amount of organic manure used, number of irrigation events, seed, soil and land type, advice from fertilizer dealers and extension agents and purchasing ability of fertilizers at government fixed price are highly influential determinants of farmers’ current N, P, and K use gaps relative to government-endorsed recommendations. Systematic field demonstrations showing benefits of balanced fertilizer use, dissemination of easily understandable soil testing technologies, effective training programs and follow up visits by the extension agents, together with mass community engagement and monitoring of subsidized fertilizer use could achieve greater adoption of balanced fertilizer use practices. Widespread adoption of recommended fertilizer can boost food security and rural livelihoods, minimize environmental losses of nutrients and enhance the economic returns and minimize the considerable expenditure from Govt. treasury.

Rice-Based Cropping System Effect on Yield and Yield Attributes on Promising Released Sesame Varieties

A field experiment was carried out at Agricultural College farm, Bapatla district, Andhra Pradesh, during the period from March 2023 to June 2023 to assess the performance of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties under different fertilizer management practices in rice-based cropping system in Krishna Zone of AP. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with the factorial concept and three replications. The results showed that YLM 146 recorded significantly the highest seed yield (748 kg ha-1) at harvest. The yield attributing characters like the number of capsules plant-1 (67) and the number of seeds capsules-1 (45) were found significantly to be the highest in the variety YLM 146. Concerning different fertilizer management practices, 125% RDF + 1% foliar spray of 19:19:19 at the early budding and capsule formation stages recorded significantly higher seed yields (827 kg ha-1). Yield attributes like number of capsules plant-1 (96) and number of seeds capsules-1 (51) were significantly highest in 125% RDF + 1% foliar spray of 19:19:19 at the early budding and capsule formation stages. Overall, the results showed that sowing of YLM 146 variety with 125% RDF + 1% foliar spray of 19:19:19 at the early budding stage and early capsule formation stage seems to be appropriate for getting higher seed yield in Krishna Zone of Andhra Pradesh.

Zinc Nutrition in Rice Based Cropping Systems: A Comprehensive Review

Rice-based cropping systems being the most practiced cropping system in India, it suffers zinc deficiency as majority of the Indian soils are deficient in the Zn micronutrient. Zn is considered the fourth most important yield limiting nutrient of Agricultural crops. Apart from plant nutrition Zn also plays crucial role in human nutrition. Zn plays a vital role in the physiological function of plants and it is associated with phytohormone activity, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. To understand better zinc nutrition and its associated benefits from optimum nutrition and ways to manage Zn in rice-based cropping systems, the present review critically examines nutrient mobilization and transformation of Zn in rice-based cropping systems of India.