Effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on productivity, profitability and quality of rice under rice-wheat cropping system

Abstract

Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) had played a great role in the food security of India. A field
experiment on sandy clay loam soil was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons of 2011 at the
Agriculture Research Farm, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
(U.P.) to study the effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on productivity, profitability
and quality of rice under rice-wheat cropping system. The experiment was conducted in strip-plot
design with four crop establishment methods (Direct seedling by zero till drill, direct seedling of
sprouted seeds by drum seeder, hand transplanting and mechanical transplanting by self propelled
transplanter) in rice as horizontal strip and four tillage methods in wheat as vertical strips. Highest
value of B: C ratio, grain protein content and nutrient uptake were obtained with mechanical
transplanting but it was found at par with hand transplanting. Highest plant height, dry matter,
grain yield and net return were recorded with hand transplanting which was found at par with
mechanical transplanting, so this treatment could be an efficient alternative method to produce
high yield and income as compare to hand transplanting, particularly under labour constrained
conditions.