Rice-wheat Cropping System Research Articles

Performance of CIP potato (Solanum tuberosum) clones for early maturity in subtropical region of Haryana

Research experiments were carried out with six promising potato clones of International Potato Center (CIP) compared with four recommended varieties of Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) as checks with the objective to identify high yielding, short duration variety suitable for rice-wheat cropping system of subtropical region of Haryana. The trials were conducted at Potato Technology Center, Karnal during rabi season of two consecutive years, viz. 2018–19 and 2019–20 under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojna Project. The experiments were laid out in randomized block design with three replications. All the cultural practices were followed with scientific management. Dehaulming was done after 75 days of planting. Physical characters of tubers like skin colour, flesh colour, tuber shape and eye depth were observed. Data related to vegetative growth and yield was recorded, pooled and statistically analyzed. It was observed from the data that the maximum plant vigour was recorded in cultivar Kufri Lima however, highest marketable and total tuber yield was recorded in a red skinned CIP clone CIP392797.22. This variety might be selected as a candidate variety fit for rice-wheat cropping system.

Precision Nutrient Management in Zero-Till Direct-Seeded Rice Influences the Productivity, Profitability, Nutrient, and Water Use Efficiency as Well as the Environmental Footprint in the Indo Gangetic Plain of India

Conventional tillage practices coupled with irrational use of fertilizer in the rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) often leads to poor productivity, low nutrient use efficiency, and cause environmental pollution. Conservation tillage with surface residue retention in combination with intelligent nutrient management might improve productivity and use efficiency of water as well as nutrients in zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR). Keeping this in mind, during the kharif season of 2018 and 2019, a trial was carried out at the ICAR-IARI in New Delhi to investigate the varying nutrient management approaches following a precise manner in DSR. The treatments consisted of soil-test-based NPK (STB-NPK) and Nutrient Expert® (+LCCN) based NPK (NE-NPK) applications, Fertilizer applied at the recommended dose (RDF) [120-60-40 kg/ha NPK], the state recommended NPK (110-50-40 kg/ha) and omission plot technique of NPK [i.e., STB (N0PK, NP0K & NPK0); SR (N0PK, NP0K & NPK0) and NE-(N0PK, NP0K & NPK0)]. The results indicated that STB NPK application led to a 12% higher grain yield over RDF. However, NE-NPK resulted in a 7% and 35% increase in N (AEN) agronomic efficiency and P (AEP) over the STB-NPK application respectively. In contrast, AEk was 24% higher in STB-NPK over NE-NPK treatment. The comparison of two years’ results that the first year performed better than the succeeding year in these respect (productivity and AE) except in the case of AEk. The N2O emission in NE-NPK treatment was also significantly reduced (49%) over the control (no N). STB-NPK treatment also improved profitability by 22% over RDF. Precision nutrient management (PNM) increased the crop yield, income, and use efficiency of nutrients and water and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of DSR in Southeast Asia.

Energy budgeting and carbon footprint of different wheat–rice cropping systems in China

Wheat–rice cropping system in China, characterized by smallholder with conventional practice, is energy- and carbon-intensive. Cooperative with scientific practice is a promising practice to increase resource use while reducing environmental impact. However, comprehensive studies of the energy and carbon (C) budgeting of management practices on the actual field-scale production under different production types are lacking. The present research examined the energy and C budgeting of smallholder and cooperative using conventional practice (CP) or scientific practice (SP) at the field scale level in the Yangtze River Plain, China. The SPs and cooperatives exhibited 9.14 % and 6.85 % and 4.68 % and 2.49 % higher grain yields over the corresponding CPs and smallholders, respectively, while maintaining 48.44 % and 28.50 % and 38.81 % and 20.16 % higher net income. Compared to the CPs, the corresponding SPs reduced the total energy input by 10.35 % and 7.88 %, and the energy savings were primarily attributable to reductions in fertilizer, water, and seeds through the use of improved techniques. The total energy input in the cooperatives was 11.53 % and 9.09 % lower than that for the corresponding smallholders due to the mechanistic enhancements and improved operational efficiency. As a result of the increased yields and reduced energy inputs, the SPs and cooperatives ultimately increased energy use efficiency. The high productivity attributed to increased C output in the SPs, which increased C use efficiency and the C sustainability index (CSI) but decreased the C footprint (CF) over the corresponding CPs. The higher productivity and more efficient machinery of cooperatives increased the CSI and reduced the CF compared to the corresponding smallholders. Overall, the SPs coupled with cooperatives were the most energy efficient, C efficient, profitable and productive for wheat–rice cropping systems. In the future, improved fertilization management practices and integration of smallholder farms were effective means for developing sustainable agriculture and promoting environmental safety.

Improvement in soil fertility under long-term intensive irrigated agriculture Punjab (North-west India) scenario

Aim: The objective of this study was to monitor the changes in soil fertility parameters of Punjab soils for the last 15 years (2005/06 to 2019/20) and to estimate the contribution of rice-wheat system to soil carbon sequestration. Methodology: This investigation is based on 66.7 thousand surface (0-15 cm) soil samples that were received in the Soil Testing Laboratory, Department of Soil Science and were analyzed for different fertility parameters such as pH, EC, organic carbon, phosphorous and potassium following standard protocols. Results: Analysis of soil fertility parameters data of last 15 years indicated positive trends of change in soil pH (7.7 to 7.4), organic carbon (4.0 to 5.4 g kg-1) and available P (9.9 to 15.4 mg kg-1). These changes are very much synchronised with increase in average rice-wheat yield trend (7.99 to 9.38 t ha-1) in the State of Punjab. Intensive cultivation also helped in higher soil carbon sequestration (3.73 t ha-1). Interpretation: There is an indication of improved soil fertility/health, including increased soil carbon sequestration in the Indian Punjab. The long-term trends of change in different soil fertility parameters will help to regulate the fertilizers usage to sustain the soil health as well as crop yields in this region. Key words: Intensive agriculture, Punjab, Rice-wheat cropping system, Soil organic carbon, Soil pH

Organic carbon accumulation and aggregate formation in soils under organic and inorganic fertilizer management practices in a rice–wheat cropping system

Soil organic carbon (C) and aggregates are the important components of soil fertility and the foundation of sustainable agriculture. The storage and protection of SOC in aggregates is widely regarded as the material basis of soil organic C accumulation. However, current understanding of soil aggregate and its associated organic C is insufficient to elucidate the regulation mechanism of soil organic C. A nine-year field experiment including chemical fertilizer (FR) and organic manure (OM) treatments was set up in the eastern plain of Funiu Mountain, central China. Using chemical analysis, physical sieving as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods, we mainly probed into the response of soil organic C concentration and composition, and C functional groups, water-stable aggregates to different treatments. Furthermore, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was conducted to characterise the different size aggregates and to analyse the mechanism of soil organic C accumulation and stabilisation at aggregate scales. After nine years of farming, OM treatment substantially increased soil organic C content (by 3.77 g kg−1) and significantly enhanced the formation of macro-aggregates (> 250 μm), while FR had no significant influence on soil organic C. At the aggregate scale, the amounts of soil organic C, C physical fractions (particulate and mineral-associated organic C), total nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon associated in macro-aggregates (> 250 μm) were obviously higher than that in micro-aggregates and silt + clay fraction, and OM treatment greatly increased the accumulation of soil organic C and its components in macro-aggregates. Moreover, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) amounts in aggregates were remarkably increased (27–116%) by the application of OM. And MBC had a positively effect on the physical fractions of SOC but not on the C chemical structure within aggregates. The present study indicated that soil organic C accumulation mainly rely on macro-aggregates (> 250 μm). Intra–particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC) within macro-aggregates played an important role in soil organic C accumulation. Meanwhile, soil microbes were a driving force for the accumulation of soil organic C physical fractions (POC and MOC). We concluded that OM treatment accelerated the synergistic process between organic C sequestration and soil aggregation, and showed great potential to increase soil organic C accumulation.

Effect of Residue Management Practices and Fertilizer Levels on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Wheat in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Effect of Residue Management Practices and Fertilizer Levels on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Wheat in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Residual Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Uptake in Wheat under a Basmati Rice–Wheat Cropping System in North-Western India

Restoring soil fertility in farming systems is essential to sustain a crop and its productivity. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess the residual effects of the combined application of fertilizers and manures on yield, concentration and uptake of nutrients in wheat under basmati rice-wheat cropping system. The treatments applied in the present study involve T1: control, T2: farmyard manure (15 t ha−1), T3: poultry manure (6 t ha−1), T4: press mud (15 t ha−1), T5: rice straw compost (6 t ha−1), T6: farmyard manure (15 t ha−1) + 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN), T7: poultry manure (6 t ha−1) + 50% RDN, T8: press mud (15 t ha−1) + 50% RDN, T9: rice straw compost (6 t ha−1) + 50% RDN, T10: 75% RDN, T11: farmyard manure (15 t ha1) + 75% RDN, T12: poultry manure (6 t ha−1) + 75% RDN, T13: press mud (15 t ha−1) + 75% RDN, T14: rice straw compost (6 t ha−1) + 75% RDN, T15: 100% RDN. The residual effects of organic manures significantly improved the growth parameters and yield attributes. Among different residual treatments, the use of farmyard manure + 75% NPK showed maximum plant height (125.2 cm), number of tillers (68.0 m−1), chlorophyll content (45.0) and yield (50.84 q ha−1 for grain and 80.43 q ha−1 for straw, respectively). Additionally, the incorporation of farmyard manure + 75% RDN demonstrated the highest uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in grain (7.37, 3.31 and 4.93 g ha−1, respectively) and straw (1.72, 1.05 and 12.63 g ha−1, respectively). The maximum zinc, copper, iron and manganese concentrations were observed to be 32.0, 3.1, 52.1 and 17.6 mg kg−1 in grain and 8.2, 2.1, 374.6 and 20.5 mg kg−1 in straw, respectively. Similarly, the highest uptakes were observed to be 67.6, 15.5, 263.8 and 89.6 g ha−1 in grain and 173.3, 16.8, 3026.9 and 170.6 g ha−1 in straw, respectively. Thus, the integrated application of farmyard manure with 75% RDN could be used to sustain wheat productivity and maintain soil fertility which otherwise deteriorates due to the sole application of inorganic fertilizers.

Yield and Nutrient Uptake Influenced by Tillage Crop Establishment and Residue Management in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

The field experiments were conducted during rainy season (June to October) and winter season (November to April) of 2010−11 and 2011−12 at the research farm of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to assess the effect of tillage and residue management practices on yields and nurient uptake by crops in rice –wheat cropping system. Direct seeding under unpuddled condition, transplanting under puddled condition, brown manuring and mungbean residue incorporation before sowing of direct-seeded rice were practiced in rice, while zero-till sowing, conventional till sowing and rice residue application with zero-till wheat were tested in wheat crop. During first year nutrient uptake under transplanted rice was significantly higher than the rest of the treatments. In second year, treatments where rice residue was applied in previous season wheat crop and mungbean residue incorporation showed comparable N, P and K uptake with the TPR treatments. In case of wheat the uptake of nutrients were not significantly influenced during first year of study but in second year, the treatments where rice residue was applied with zero-till wheat and mungbean residue was incorporated in previous DSR showed significantly higher N, P and K uptake. In first year of study TPR produced significantly higher yield (5.37 t ha-1) while in second year mungbean residue incorporation with direct seeded rice produced significantly at par yield (5.61 t ha-1) than the transplanted rice (5.75 t ha-1). Productivity of wheat under all the treatments during first year remained at par but in second year MBR+DSR-ZTW+RR-MB produced significantly highest yield (5.33 t ha-1).

Modelling wellbeing of farmers by using nexus of climate change risk perception, adaptation strategies, and their drivers on irrigation water in Pakistan.

This study aimed to determine the farmers' perceived impact of climate change on irrigation water and the adaptation measure adopted to mitigate its adverse effects. A binary logistic regression model was used to identified factors affecting the selection of adaptation measures. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to compute the benefits of adaptation strategies. The study was conducted in two major cropping systems, i.e., the Cotton Wheat Cropping System (CWCS) and Rice Wheat Cropping System (RWCS) of Punjab, Pakistan, using primary data of 1080 farmers collected through a multistage sampling technique. Due to climate change there was deterioration in surface water and groundwater quality in CWCS than in RWCS. The farmer uses different adaptation strategies like water harvesting, crop diversification, increasing use of irrigation, laser land leveling to save water, making ridges, building a water harvesting scheme, changing irrigation time, high-efficiency irrigation system and water-saving technologies. Adaptation strategies used by farmer were affected by different socioeconomic, demographic and agronomic factors. Results of the binary logistic regression showed that age, farming experience, education, household size, farm size, tenancy status of owner, access to farm credit, information on weather forecasting, soil quality, tube well ownership, remittances, off-farm income, agricultural extension services provided for irrigation water, and information on climatic and natural hazards played a significant role in the selection of adaptation strategies for irrigation water. Results of PLS-SEM showed that adaptation strategies mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on irrigation water. Farmers' awareness regarding the impact of climatic variability on irrigation water should be enhanced. Availability of credit to farmers should be improved on easy terms to facilitate the adoption of interventions for better irrigation water management. It is high time for policymakers to design effective, affordable, and workable policies to mitigate climate change vulnerabilities against irrigation water to improve the wellbeing of the farmers.

Long-term combined organic manure and chemical fertilizer application enhances aggregate-associated C and N storage in an agricultural Udalfs soil.

Little information is known on whether carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) immobilization is synchronized in different sizes of aggregates under different agricultural management practices. Carbon and N concentrations and the C/N ratios in different sizes of aggregates down to 40 cm depth were determined after long-term application of chemical fertilizers combined with manure or without manure in a wheat-rice cropping system. Manure application usually produced significantly (P < 0.05) higher C and N concentrations and lower C/N ratios in bulk soil and in different sizes of aggregates down to 20 cm depth than the other treatments, and the 1.5 MNPK treatment at 0-10 cm depth had the highest SOC concentration of 26.3 g/kg. The C and N concentrations in bulk soil and all aggregate fractions decreased markedly with increasing soil depth. Among water stable aggregates in all soil depths, the highest C (48.2-66.4%) and N (47.8-68.3%) concentrations as a percentage of SOC were found in the small macroaggregates (2000-250 μm, SM). Manure application significantly (P < 0.05) increased the mass and C and N concentrations of SM and SM fractions down to 20 depth. The mean C/N ratios of silt-clay within large and small macroaggregates (inter-SC) were 1.57 and 1.46 units lower than those of silt-clay particles, respectively, indicating that inter-SC had relative high N availability. Moreover, the C and N content of SM down to 40 cm depth tended to saturation with increasing C input rate. Overall, manure application effectively improved soil structure, SM were the dominant particles involved in soil C and N storage, and inter-SC were the main particles responsible for N availability.

Composting of Municipal Solid Waste Using Earthworms and Ligno-Cellulolytic Microbial Consortia for Reclamation of the Degraded Sodic Soils and Harnessing Their Productivity Potential

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the reclamation of degraded sodic soils are two serious environmental and socio-economic problems experienced by the developing nations. To overcome these problems, a technology has been developed for the composting of MSW using earthworm and ligno-cellulolytic microbial consortia and its utilization for the sustainable reclamation of degraded sodic soils, as well as for harnessing their productivity potential. To standardize on-farm composting under aerobic conditions, the field experiment consisted of seven treatment combinations, replicated thrice with municipal solid waste (MSW) sole and in combination with agricultural wastes (AW) treated with earthworms (Eisenia foetida) and consortia of lingo-cellulolytic microbes such as Aspergillus spp., Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus spp. It was conducted at ICAR-CSSRI, Research farm, Shivri, Lucknow, India. The results revealed that the thermophilic phase was achieved at 60 days of composting and thereafter the temperature decreased. Marked changes in pH and EC were found and they changed from acidic to neutral. The reduction in total C, from initial to maturity, varied from 4.45 to 14.14% and the increase in total P and total K from 4.88 to 88.10% and 12.00 to 35.71%, respectively. The nutrient-rich quality compost based on the lowest C: N ratio, highest nutrient contents, microbial population (bacteria and fungi) and enzymatic activities was obtained from a mix of MSW and AW, enriched with earthworms and consortia of lingo-cellulolytic microbes. The efficacy of this enriched compost was evaluated for the reclamation of sodic soils and their potential for sustaining productivity of the rice-wheat cropping system was harnessed through combined application with a reduced dose of gypsum. The results indicated that the application of on-farm compost @10 t ha−1 in conjunction with a reduced quantity of gypsum (25% GR) significantly (p &lt; 0.05) improved the physico-chemical and microbial soil properties, and enhanced productivity of the rice-wheat cropping system over the use of only gypsum. This study proved that on-farm compost of MSW and its utilization for the reclamation of degraded sodic soils can be an alternate solution for useful disposal and management of MSW, thereby improving the health and productivity of sodic soils.

Replacement of rice-wheat cropping system with alternative diversified systems concerning crop productivity and their impact on soil carbon and nutrient status in soil profile of north-west India

The depth-wise depletion of soil organic carbon (OC), macro, micro, and secondary nutrients under the rice-wheat system has resulted in multi-nutrient deficiencies and a decline in crop productivity, emphasizing the replacement of rice-wheat with alternate cropping systems like maize-wheat, cotton-wheat, soybean-wheat, and moongbean-wheat to restore soil fertility and productivity. Long-term investigations (since 2016) revealed that there was a depth-wise decline in pH, EC, OC, and nutrients in soil profile (Udic Ustrochept, Inceptisols) among different cropping systems. The practice of deep-rooted cropping systems (maize-wheat and cotton-wheat) led to maximum OC, soluble calcium, and magnesium, while legume-based systems (especially soybean-wheat) led to maximum available phosphorus (30.86 kg ha−1), boron (0.49 mg kg−1), and DTPA-zinc (1.82 mg kg−1) in soil profile (0–120 cm). This system also led to the maximum surface soil OC, available phosphorus, soluble magnesium, DTPA-zinc, and boron. From the production point of view, soybean-wheat system (115.65 q ha−1) led to higher system grain productivity as compared to rice-wheat system (109.60 q ha−1). Therefore, the practice of alternative cropping systems like soybean-wheat and cotton-wheat helps in the build-up of nutrient status by playing a pivotal role in influencing the surface and depth-wise distribution of organic carbon and nutrients in the soil.

Assessing the availability of potassium and its quantity-intensity relations under long term conservation agriculture based cereal systems in North-West India

Potassium fertilization is often neglected and /or ignored leading to imbalanced fertilization under intensive cultivation especially in the Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP) in North-West India. Recently conservation agriculture (CA) with crop residue retention has become quite popular among the farmers and land practitioners in India and globally. Crop residues are generally rich in potassium (K) content and its continuous addition under CA may impact K dynamics and supply to crops to some extent. Keeping this in view, a field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of long-term cereal-based CA on K supplying capacity in soil of North-West India. Both routine method (neutral normal ammonium acetate extractable) and quantity-intensity (Q/I) approach were adopted to predict K supply under CA vis-à-vis conventional agriculture. Available K and Q/I parameters were analyzed after 11 years of an experimental setup consisting of six scenarios i.e. Scenario 1 (Sc1): conventional till rice-wheat cropping system; Scenario 2 (Sc2): partial CA based rice-wheat-mungbean system; Scenario 3 (Sc3): full CA based rice-wheat-mungbean system; Scenario 4 (Sc4): full CA based maize-wheat-mungbean system; Scenario 5 (Sc5) and 6 (Sc6): same as Sc3 and Sc4 but with sub surface drip irrigation system. Results revealed that full CA based scenarios maintained significantly higher (p < 0.05) available K (145 mg kg−1) than Sc1 (86 mg kg−1). However, it was observed that Q/I approach helped in better understanding of K supply under long term CA soils than routine method. Regarding K availability, Sc6 was the best scenario with high values of planar K (0.147 cmol kg−1), labile K (0.325 cmol kg−1) and potential buffering capacity (PBCK) while Sc1 (without K fertilization or residue addition) presented lowest values of Q/I parameters. Partial CA (Sc2) maintained higher labile K (0.368 cmol kg−1) and equilibrium concentration ratio (CRe0K) (1.93(mol L−1) 1/2 × 10−3) but very low PBCK (36.4 cmol kg−1 (mol L−1) −1/2) suggesting that K intensity shall not be sustained for long period of time and lead to soil K depletion over time. However, on an average, all full CA based scenarios maintained higher Q/I parameters over the conventional practice (Sc1), representing better ability to supply K both immediately and over a long period of time to meet crop requirement. The impact of maize-wheat-mungbean cropping system was prominently observed with respect to CRe0Kover rice-wheat-mungbean system; whereas the effect of irrigation method was not significantly distinguishable. The study thus highlights the potential of long term crop residue retention under CA for improving and maintaining K supply to crops.

Climate-smart technologies for reducing water footprints in different cropland ecosystems: a meso analysis

Water footprints (WFs) in crop production are an ecological measurement of water utilization that represents the cumulative groundwater quantum consumed within a region (district/state or country) to produce the crops. WFs in crop production have great significance for ecosystem’s sustainability, as high WFs are posing a serious challenge for the scientists and presents researchable issues for reducing WFs for increased crop water productivity. Crop need based approaches and improved climate smart technologies (CSTs) instead of conventional approaches help in reducing the irrigation water use without compromising crop yields. In view of global warming, need to reduce the water intake in agricultural production has been thought as an urgently sustainable issue. Amongst various crops of South Asia, rice–wheat cropping system extensively cultivated on ~ 12.5 million ha (Mha), has large WFs. A large scale field experimentation suggested several permissible techniques having overwhelming significance for reducing WFs in crop production. Amongst the several CSTs, laser levelers for precision leveling, cultivars with short duration rice varieties, delayed transplanting of rice seedlings, soil matric potential (or tensiometer) based irrigation scheduling, direct drilling of rice seeds, crop establishment on permanent beds, mechanical rice seedling transplanting, and crop diversification through oilseed/pulses has considerable significance in water saving and decreased WFs. Nonetheless, all technologies are not universally efficient in reducing WFs, and depend up on several factors of which soil texture and climatic conditions are the major determinants. For feeding the burgeoning population and to sustain and/or increased food production, technological focus should be on widespread adoption of technologies which aims at reduced WFs either by decreasing water loss from the leaf and/or soil. The present review deals with WFs in crop production, and the technologies to enhance irrigation water productivity and ecosystems’ sustainability of predominant cropping system of South Asia, particularly in water-harassed regions.

Enhancing Soil Health Through Microbial Inoculation and Changing Cultivation Methods in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

India’s rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) is going through a paradigm shift to address resource degradation and sustainability issues. The increasing level of soil degradation has made soil biological health an important aspect of managing the problems of RWCS through understanding the role of microbes in enhancing soil health and by increasing the adoption of conservation agriculture-based practices. Our two-year study revealed that soil biological health, as measured by soil acetylene reductase activity (ARA), soil chlorophyll, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil dehydrogenase enzyme activity, and soil alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), was significantly impacted by the rice and wheat cultivation methods. The system of rice intensification (SRI) and zero tillage wheat (ZTW) system had significantly higher values for all the studied microbial parameters. The application of Anabaena-Pseudomonas biofilm formulation along with 75% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) (90 kg N/ha and 19.35 kg phosphorus (P/ha) significantly improved all studied microbial parameters in both rice and wheat. The microbial properties such as dehydrogenase enzyme activity, alkaline phosphatase activity and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) had significantly higher values in treatment with RDN over 75% RDN indicating the role of optimal fertilization in soil biological health maintenance. A significant improvement in ARA and soil chlorophyll in inoculated treatment showed superior performance of inoculated microbes over inherent soil microbes in nitrogen fixation. The study of a combination of different rice and wheat cultivation methods and their influence in the long run on soil biological health in RWCS emphasizes the need for soil biological health maintenance considering its significant role in the system’s sustainability.

Effect of various soil health indicators on rice productivity in old alluvium of Bihar: A correlation study

Conventional method of rice-wheat cropping system leads to deteriorate soil health drastically day by day. An appropriate idea of particular soil health indicator that effects soil health directly should be known to make the crop productivity high. In order to determine the direct and indirect associations among various soil health properties with rice yield in rice-wheat cropping system a survey was done in farmer’s field. Overall 100 soil samples were collected randomly from 100 farmer’s field and studied to find out the soil health. Soil chemical properties (pH, EC, SOC, Avl. N, Avl. P2O5, Avl. K20), Soil physical properties (sand, silt, clay and Available water capacity) and soil biological properties (active carbon, soil respiration and autoclaved citrate extractable protein) were studied to find out the principal indicator for soil health that effects directly to rice yield. The study revealed that mainly soil organic carbon effects rice yield directly along with clay content of soil and soil respiration. Soil microbial activity is also very important in order to achieve good rice yield and positive correlated soil respiration value is evidence of it. Thus the results suggest that farmers should focus on enhancing soil organic carbon and microbial activity by means of soil respiration with best sustainable management practices in order to achieve higher productivity of rice.

Tillage and residue management on nutrient uptake by wheat under rice-wheat cropping system

A 2-year field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of tillage and residue management practices on yield and NPK uptake by wheat under rice wheat cropping system at Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand. There were four tillage practices and four residue management practices arranged in split plot design with three replications. Higher NPK uptake by wheat, protein productivity, grain and straw yield as well as yield attributes viz., number of spikes m-2, number of grains spike-1 and 1000-seed weight (g) recorded under conventional tillage wheat sown after conventional tillage rice (CTCT) and residue retained in both crops (R-R) whereas lower recorded under zero tillage wheat sown after zero tillage rice (ZT-ZT) and without residue retained in both crops (NR-NR) during both the year of experimentations.

Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-associated Carbon affected by Long-term Crop Residues Incorporation in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Crop residue management is one of the options for enhancing soil organic carbon stabilization by improving soil aggregation in semi-tropical soil. We studied the influence of different levels crop residues incorporation on aggregation and carbon stabilization in different soil aggregates after 23 years of continuous rice- wheat cropping system on sandy loam calcareous soil. 100% residue incorporation caused a significant increment of 49.09 % in total water stable aggregates (&gt;0.25 mm) in surface soil. Carbon content in both macro- and microaggregates was increased, but increment was greater in macroaggregates (33.47%) than microaggregates (16.23%). These results show that long-term application of organics in combination with inorganic fertilizers helped in carbon accumulation in macroaggregates, and thereby improving soil carbon status.

Vertical distribution of DTPA- Manganese in PostHarvest Soil of Wheat as Influenced by Crop Residue and Residual starter Zinc

The present experiment is a part of a long-term experiment based on the effect of crop residue and residual starter zinc. This part of investigation “Vertical distribution of DTPA- Manganese in Post-Harvest Soil of Wheat as Influenced by Crop Residue and Residual starter Zinc”. Distribution of available iron in different soil depths as influenced by the graded level of crop residues and residual starter zinc under rice-wheat cropping system in calcareous soil are presented. The data on depth wise distribution of available Mn as influenced by long term application of crop residue and residual starter Zn under rice-wheat cropping system are depicted in Table 1 and illustrated in Fig 2. The available Mn content in surface soil (0-15 cm) varied from 4.28 to 4.89 mg kg-1 while that in 15 - 30, 30 - 60 and 60 - 90 cm depths ranged from 4.32 to 4.96, 4.27 to 4.86 and 4.18 to 4.76 mg kg-1, respectively. Increasing levels of crop residues significantly increased the DTPA-Mn content at all the depths viz. 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90 cm from 4.30 to 4.86,4.38 to 4.91, 4.28 to 4.82 and 4.19 to 4.73 mg kg-1 respectively. Residual Zn application significantly decreased the DTPA Mn content at 0.15, 15-30 and 30-60 cm depth from 4.58 to 4.55, 4.68 to 4.63 and 4.56 to 4.53 mg kg-1, respectively, however decrease was at par at 60-90 cm depth (4.46 to 4.44 mg kg- 1).

Scale to Assess the Sustainability of Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Rice-Wheat Cropping System (RWCS) is a principle cropping system followed in Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP). Though this monocropping system plays a key role in India’s food sufficiency, it has led to various problems such as soil degradation, groundwater exploitation, environmental damage, yield plateau etc., posing challenge and risk to its sustainability. The scale was developed during 2021-22 to assess the perception level of farmers about the sustainability issues in RWCS. Summated rating scale method by Likert with standardized procedures was used to develop this scale. A total of 54 items were collected and sent to experts for relevancy analysis. Based on the results of relevancy analysis, a schedule consisting of 43 items was used to conduct personally interviewed pre-test. The items were further screened for their differentiating ability and thus, the final scale consisted of 31 items. The scale was found to be valid and reliable as ascertained by content validity and split half test reliability method, respectively. The reliability coefficient of 0.884 indicated the higher internal consistency.