Effect of Cultivation Methods and Crop Establishment Techniques on Crop Management Practices, Productivity and Energetics in Rice-Wheat Cropping System

Abstract

The rice – wheat cropping system (RWCS) is mainly spread in Trans, Upper, Middle and even in part of Lower Indo-Gangetic plains (IGPs) and mostly grown by puddle transplanted rice followed by conventional drill-sown wheat. The various adverse effects of the presently followed cultivation methods, improvement in knowledge base especially for mechanization, residue management, land configuration and their role in resource use efficiency, awareness about ITKs and their potential to tackle the present concerns generate the call for trying new cultivation methods (CMs) and / or crop establishment methods (CEMs). The review aims discuss the variation in productivity, energetic, nutrient uptake, and changes in soil properties as well as environmental concerns across CMs / CEMs. The significant impact on water saving (aerobic rice system (ARS) and zero tillage wheat), exploring genetic potential of individual plant (system of rice and wheat intensification), ease in weed management (cono weeder and alternate wetting and drying and ARS) with several environmental concerns (herbicide resistance in weed and shift in weed flora), development of different tools/techniques for sowing (zero till seed drill, drum seed drill and happy seeder) and crop management (combine harvesters and laser land leveller) were highlighted to a great extent due to changes in CMs/CEMs. The changes in CMs/CEMs is on large extent is constrained due to lack of consistency in following new methods, low incentive to environmental friendly methods, lack of soil inherent ability to support new methods in terms of yield and non-competitiveness of new methods on socio-economical scale. On the other hand, increasing energy and cost saving, timeliness in observation, slight improvement in yield and policy initiatives are well reported reasons for adoption of new CM/CEMs in RWCS. In nutshell implementation/adoption and study of the impact of CMs/CEMs is essential considering the several alarming situation about cost: benefit analysis of farmer, subsidies on inputs required, future prospects of the RWCS, availability of options and alarming rate of natural resource degradation.