Effect of Tillage and Residue-based Conservation Agriculture Practices on Growth and Yield Attributes of Wheat-rice Cropping System in an Inceptisol

Abstract

The sustainability of the wheat–rice cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains is constrained by intensive tillage, residue burning, and declining soil fertility. This study evaluated six tillage- and residue-based crop establishment practices, including mungbean integration, for their effects on the growth and yield attributes of rice and wheat in an Inceptisol. The field experiment used a randomised block design with six treatments and four replications. Plant height, greenness index, initial plant population, tiller density, spikes or panicles per square metre, spike or panicle length, grains per spike or panicle, and 1000-grain weight were assessed. Significant differences among crop establishment practices were observed for the measured growth and yield attributes. The conventional tillage treatment (CTPTR–CTW) generally recorded the lowest values, whereas ZTDSR–ZTW–ZTMB consistently produced the highest or among the highest values in both crops. At 90 DAS, CE6 recorded plant heights of 107.03 cm in wheat and 105.65 cm in rice. It also produced the highest wheat spike density (390.67 m⁻²), rice panicle density (471.44 m⁻²), and 1000-grain weights of 40.90 g in wheat and 27.96 g in rice. The results indicate that combining zero tillage, residue retention, and mungbean integration can improve crop establishment, vegetative growth, and yield attributes within this wheat–rice system. These findings support the potential of the integrated conservation agriculture treatment for improving crop performance under the experimental conditions.