Identification of Economically Viable Cropping Systems for Vertisols of Northern Telangana Zone....

During the 2016-17 season, a field experiment was conducted at the AICRP on Integrated Farming Systems, Regional Sugarcane and Rice Research Station, Rudrur, to diversify the established rice-rice cropping system with less water-demanding crops under irrigated dry conditions for vertisols in the Northern Telangana Zone. Twelve cropping systems were used as treatments in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) experiment with three replications. Rice – rice (check), maize + soybean (2:4) – tomato, maize + soybean (2:4) – rice, maize – sunflower + chickpea (2:4), maize – sunflower + chickpea (2:4), maize – chickpea (2:4), Bt cotton + soybean (1:2) on broadbed – sesame + groundnut (2:4), Bt cotton – sesame + blackgram (2:4), turmeric – sesame (2:4).

On a device basis, the turmeric+soybean (1:2) BBF– sesame+blackgram (2:4) turmeric – sesame cropping sequence produced significantly higher productivity in terms of rice equivalent yield (REY) of 23830 kg ha-1. However, with productivity of 23332 kg ha-1 and 21389 kg ha-1, it was comparable to turmeric – sesame and turmeric + soybean (1:2) on flat bed – bajra crop sequences. Rice-rice cropping system yielded lower productivity (10725 kg ha-1). Bt. cotton – sesame + black gramme (2:4) on BBF (Rs222838 ha-1) came in first, followed by Bt Cotton + Soybean (1:2) (BBF) – Sesamum + Groundnut (2:4) (Rs221160 ha-1) and Maize+soybean (2:4)–tomato (Rs221160 ha-1) (Rs212909 ha-1). In a traditional rice-rice method, lower net returns were reported (Rs88179 ha-1). Bt Cotton + Soybean (1:2) (BBF)- Sesamum + Groundnut ((2:4) and Maize+soybean (2:4)–tomato were economically superior with REE of 152.71 percent, 150.81 percent, and 141.45 percent, respectively. Rice-rice cropping is less productive and economically inferior for the majority of farmers, suggesting a greater opportunity to diversify existing rice-rice cropping systems with high-yielding, economically viable cropping systems in the vertisols of Northern Telangana Region.

Please see the link :- https://www.journalcjast.com/index.php/CJAST/article/view/31040