Economic evaluation of surface and subsurface drip fertigated basmati rice (Oryza sativa)–wheat (Triticum aestivum)–mungbean (Vigna radiata) cropping system

VED PRAKASH  MEENA; KHAJANCHI  LAL; CHANDRA PRAKASH MEENA; MANOJ KHANNA; P S  BRAHMANAND; ARPULA  SAIRAM; NIVETA JAIN; KAPILA SHEKHAWAT; MAHESH CHAND MEENA; SUSAMA SUDHISHRI; A S BRAR; RAMESHI MEENA

doi:10.56093/ijas.v96i8.177243

Authors

VED PRAKASH MEENA ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
KHAJANCHI LAL ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
CHANDRA PRAKASH MEENA Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
MANOJ KHANNA ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
P S BRAHMANAND ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
ARPULA SAIRAM ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012, India
NIVETA JAIN ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
KAPILA SHEKHAWAT ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
MAHESH CHAND MEENA ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
SUSAMA SUDHISHRI ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India
A S BRAR Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
RAMESHI MEENA Govt. PG College (University of Kota, Kota, Rajasthan), Karauli, Rajasthan

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v96i8.177243

Keywords:

Crop evapotranspiration, Direct seeded rice, Economic feasibility, Rice equivalent yield, Transplanted rice

Abstract

Low water-use efficiency and increasing water scarcity necessitate efficient irrigation management to sustain the productivity of the predominant basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. This field study was carried out to evaluate the productivity and economic feasibility of drip-fertigated basmati rice established by direct seeding (DSR) and transplanting (TPR), followed by wheat and mungbean under surface drip (SD) and subsurface drip (SSD) irrigation during 2020–21 and 2021–22 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The treatments included three irrigation schedules [1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for rice, with corresponding ETc levels of 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 for wheat and mungbean], compared with a conventional control (flood irrigation with 100% recommended NPK fertilisers). However, transplanted rice was evaluated only under subsurface drip irrigation (SSD-TPR). It was observed that increasing the irrigation schedule from 1.2 to 1.4 ETc in rice and from 0.6 to 0.8 ETc in wheat and mungbean increased the yields of rice, wheat, mungbean and system rice equivalent yield (SREY) by 19.2, 36.6, 20.3 and 23.7%, respectively. System productivity under SSD-DSR, SSD-TPR and SD-DSR was 9.04, 8.96 and 8.55 Mg/ha, respectively and remained statistically comparable. At the 0.8/1.4 ETc schedule, fertigation with 100% NPK produced a significantly higher average SREY (9.49 t/ha) than the conventional practice (9.16 t/ha). Under SSD-DSR at 1.4 ETc in rice, SSD in wheat and mungbean at 0.8 ETc, and the overall system (0.8/1.4 ETc), net income was 12.1, 41.2, 57.0 and 27.5% higher, respectively, than under the conventional system. At the 0.8/1.4 ETc schedule, SSD-DSR recorded the highest BCR (2.03), followed by SSD-TPR (1.91), and SD-DSR at 1.0/1.6 ETc (1.89). Thus, adoption of this irrigation strategy may be a viable option for sustainable water management in the rice–wheat–mungbean cropping system.

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