Laser-assisted precision land leveling, a potential technology for resource conservation in irrigated intensive production systems of the lndo-Gangetic Plains
2009
Jat, M.L | Gupta, R. | Ramasundaram, R. | Gathala, M.K. | Sidhu, H.S. | Singh, S. | Singh, R.G. | Saharawat, Y.S. | Kumar, V. | Chandna, P. | Ladha, J.K.
Precision agriculture based resource-conserving technologies (RCTs) in their version of laser-assisted land leveling, introduced at the farm level in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India in 2001, could examine the many issues of the intensive irrigated rice-wheat system. We attempted to study the potential benefits and impact of laser-assisted precision land leveling (PLL) in various crops and cropping systems under different agroecologies through on-station and researcher-managed on-farm trials, In on-station trials, PLL improved RW system productivity by 7% and saved irrigation water by 12% and profitability by US$113_175 ha-1 compared with traditional land leveling (TLL). Under on-farm trials conducted in the northwestern 1GR we found that PLL enhanced RW system productivity by 10%, 11%, and 19% with water savings of 23%, 25%, and 30% in western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, respectively. In the eastern lGP the savings in irrigation costs in different crops in laser-leveled fields compared with traditional leveling ranged from $20 to $30 ha1. The increase in farm profitability under laser land leveling was nearly $200_300 ha1 year1. Impact studies revealed that laser-leveling technology has been adopted on nearly 200,000 ha in the lGP which saved electricity for $6 and $13 million in the RW system of Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, respectively, with a significant increase in crop yields and savings in irrigation water. These studies suggest that, to sustain the intensive irrigated systems in general and the RW system of the 1GP in particular, the integration of laser-assisted precision land leveling with other RCTs could be a viable option. However, the long-term effects of these alternative technologies need to be studied under varying agroecologies.
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