Assessment of different cropping system to enhance the productivity under rice fallow

Abstract

In Chandel district of Manipur, vast areas are lying fallow after the rice crop is harvested. Rice fallow areas can be better utilized in establishing winter (rabi) crop, utilizing the residual soil moisture through different cropping sequences. To exploit these rice fallow areas with winter crops, location specific and economically viable technology for better performances of crop are required to be standardized through proper assessment of different cropping system to enhance the productivity. A Field experiments with four cropping systems were evaluated for two years during 2018-19 and 2019-20 at three locations of the farmers’ field at Chandel district, Manipur state. The results revealed that the highest rice equivalent yield of 97.48 q/ha was recorded in rice-lentil cropping system followed by rice-fieldpea cropping system with 89.60 q/ ha and rice-rapeseed-mustard cropping system with 85.52 q/ha respectively, over the farmers’ practice i.e. rice–fallow. On the other hand, the highest benefit: cost ratio of 2.93:1 was recorded in rice-fieldpea cropping system over all other cropping sequences which might be due to higher production and comparatively lesser production cost. Hence, there is a need to disseminate the improved technologies amongst the farmers with effective extension methods like training and demonstrations to utilise the existing farming situations rice fallow and convert monocropped area into double cropped areas for increasing the cropping intensity as well as to increase crop production and productivity.