A Review on Drawbacks of Rice-Wheat Cropping System: Opportunities and Challenges in North-Western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Abstract

Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS), the predominant cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), played a prominent role in fulfilling the food grain demand of the increasing population. In northern Indian plains, continued adoption of the exhaustive rice-wheat cropping system has resulted in severe deterioration of natural resources, declining factor productivity, multiple nutrient deficiencies, labour scarcity, and also alleviates the cost of production, poses a serious threat to the environment, and sustainable crop production. These problems are the major drivers to search for alternative technologies such as: varietal development, water and nutrient management and adoption of resource conservation technologies (laser land leveling, DSR, aerobic rice, systems of rice/wheat intensification, zero/minimum tillage-based crop establishment methods) in RWCS are the key interventions to address these challenges. Moreover, conservation agriculture, mechanized transplanting in zero-till/unpuddled fields, and need-based application of water, fertilizer, and pesticides might be a successful approach for sustainable rice-wheat production systems in the current scenario. This article mainly focuses on the drawbacks of the RWCS that arise due to the continuous adoption of this cropping system vis-a-vis alternate sustainable management options for achieving higher productivity and sustainability in northwest India.