Improving food security through integrated crop and resource management in the rice-wheat system in Nepal
2009
Regmi, A.P | Tripathi, J. | Giri, G,S. | Bhatta, M.R. | Sherchan, D.P. | Karki, K.B. | Tripathi, B.P. | Kumar, V. | Ladha, J.K.
The rice-wheat (RW) system covers an area of about 0.6 million ha in Nepal and meets approximately 75% of the countrys total food demand. The productivity and profitability of the RW system in Nepal are low mainly because of poor resource and crop management practices followed by farmers. Four resource- conserving technologies for rice and three for wheat were evaluated during 2005 to 2007. Integrated crop management (1CM) in conventionally tilled transplanted rice (CT-TPR) produced the highest grain yield (4.6 t ha-1), followed by CT-TPR, CT-drum-seeded rice (CT-DrumR), and reduced-tilled direct-seeded rice (RT-DSR) (3.3_3.4 t ha). Both CT-DrumR and RT-DSR had a lower cost of cultivation than CT-PTR due to savings in cost of nursery raising, uprooting, transplanting, and puddling. But, weed pressure in these treatments was high and difficult to manage, particularly in RT-DSR. In wheat, both zero-till drill-seeded wheat (ZT.DSW) and reduced-till power-operated drill-seeded wheat (RT-DSW PTOS) produced 30-40% higher yield than conventional tillage and broadcast wheat (CT-BCW). Land preparation and seeding costs were, however, lower in zero-till direct-seeded wheat (Z[-DSW) than in reduced-till direct-seeded wheat (RT-DSW [PTOS]). With ZT-DSW and RT-DSW (PTOS), it was possible to advance wheat sowing by 2_4 weeks. In addition, zero-till sowing of wheat saved 64% of the cost involved in land preparation and seeding. Positive N and P balances were observed in both the 1CM approach and conventional practice. The negative K balance noted in both approaches indicated mining of K in the RW system. On a systems basis, applying the 1CM approach had 64% higher net benefit than the conventional practice, Farmers can practice 1CM to enhance their livelihood and reduce poverty.
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