Soil health status under continuous rice-maize cropping system in eastern sub-Himalayan region of India due to nutritional management practice by farmers

Abstract

The Rice-Maize system (RMS) is emerging as a profitable cropping system in Eastern India, particularly in the Sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal. Although RMS has high productivity potential and could replace traditional systems like Rice-Wheat or Rice-Jute, issues such as poor yield due to low fertilizer application, delayed/early sowing, and environmental stress remain significant challenges for farmers. R-M system exists in all climates ranging from tropical to sub-tropical to warm temperate. Maize can be grown in all three major cropping seasons of India, providing a flexible option to support diversification of existing cereal-based cropping systems (Timsina et al., 2010). The R-M System is characterized by high nutrient removal from the soil, particularly driven by higher yield of maize. However, cultivating two cereal crops in rapid sequence may leads to decline in soil fertility resulting in yield reduction in both crops. The continuous nutrient depletion is a major threat to soil health. This nutrient depletion may be caused by various factors. Among them improper crop management practices by farmers are the leading cause. This survey was conducted to study the management practices followed by farmers and current soil nutritional status of R-M system.