Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

YIELD, ECONOMICS OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) AND AVAILABLE NUTRIENTS IN SOIL AS INFLUENCED BY VARIOUS CROP ESTABLISHMENT METHODS IN RICE-WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM

Mona Nagargade, A. Sen, P. K. Upadhyay, V. Tyagi and Ekta Kumari

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons of 2013-2014 at the Agriculture Research Farm, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (India). The experiment consisting of 8 treatments i.e., conventional tilled rice (puddled transplanted) in kharif - conventional tilled wheat (broadcasted-tilled) in rabi, conventional tilled rice (puddled transplanted) in kharif - reduced till wheat in rabi, conventional till rice (puddled transplanted) in kharif - zero-till wheat in rabi, reduced till direct seeded rice in kharif - reduced till wheat in rabi, reduced till direct seeded rice in kharif - zero-till wheat in rabi, zero-till direct seeded rice in kharif - reduced till wheat in rabi, zero-till direct seeded rice in kharif - zero-till wheat (without residue) in rabi, zero-till direct seeded rice in kharif-zero-till wheat (with residue in rabi) was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The highest grain yield (36.47 q ha-1), straw yield (53.67q ha-1) and biological yield (90.13 q ha-1) was recorded in zero till drill sown wheat after conventional tilled puddle transplanted rice. Available NPK in soil was found more in zero-till direct seeded rice in kharif - zero-till wheat (without residue) in rabi which showed lower yield. Zero till wheat after conventional tilled puddle transplanted rice recorded maximum gross return ( 78736.67), net return ( 54173.54) and benefit cost ratio (2.20).