Research on wheat-based crop-animal systems
1995
Verma, M.L. (G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263145, Uttar Pradesh (India). Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture)
The wheat-based, crop-animal systems have a high density in both human and livestock populations, and occupy a large proportion of the geographical area in the northwestern region of India. The per capita state domestic product in this region is very high, of which the largest proportion comes from agriculture and from wheat among the crops. Over the past 25 years, there has been a shift to the area under wheat and other cereals at the cost of coarse grains, pulses, barley, oil, seeds, cotton, and sugarcane. Among the livestock species, the buffalo is the most important, having an annual growth rate of around 2.4%/yr compared with 0.03%/yr for cattle. The region accounts for about 21% of the total cropped area and for 61% of the number of tractors in the country. The farm assets in terms of machinery and implements in some parts of this area increased by about 300%, while the assets in terms of livestock dropped by only 16%. Based on average numbers of buffalo and bovine animals in a farm, the number of treatments per farmer should not be more than two. But the experiment needs to be replicated on many farms. Considering the genetic and management variables, we may require complex statistical methods of design and analysis and the help of statisticians. For the cropping patterns, the most common cropping patterns have to be selected for the study. A reconnaissance survey followed by a diagnostic analysis, or even a preliminary or exploratory experimentation, may be necessary to properly identify problems and opportunities applicable to many farmers. A conceptual model for rice-sugarcane-wheat-livestock farming systems has been suggested with several improvement strategies that had been identified
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