Improving the soil water regime for crop intensification in rainfed lowlands: the role of dry-seeded rice
1993
Saleh, A.F.M. | Bhuiyan, S.I. (Bangladesh Univ. of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh). Inst. of Flood Control and Drainage Research)
The agrohydrology during the transitions from wet to dry season and from dry to wet season largely determines the opportunity for crop intensification in rainfed lowland rice systems. This study, conducted in Northern-Central Luzon, Philippines, showed that about 50-75 percent farmers grew a second crop following wet season rice on 20-70 percent of their farmlands. Mungbean was the over-whelming choice of farmers as the post-rice crop because of its drought tolerance and early maturity. Mungbean yields were low because of water stress due to negligible rainfall during the season. Other yield-determining factors are time of planting, tillage level, seeding rate and use of pesticides. In 1991-1993, dry seeding of rice enabled earlier planting of mungbean by about two weeks, which resulted in over 50 percent higher water availability and 55 percent higher mungbean yield compared to when the crop was grown after harvest of transplanted rice. Rainfall probability analysis showed than in an average year crop water availability from rainfall would be increased by 78 percent if rice could be harvested 20 days earlier than the average harvest date of transplanted rice, which was possible through dry seeding of rice. At present, farmers made marginal profits from mungbean but the return above cash/cost was high because of employment of family labor for harvesting and threshing operations
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