Crop establishment in rice-wheat systems of South Asia
1997
Hobbs, Peter R.(International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (Nepal))
Rice-wheat system is grown on 12 million hectares of land in South Asia). This system is a major factor for food security in South Asia. Wheat is also becoming a major cereal consumed in Thailand with more than 600 thousand tons imported annually. Although present consumption is only 10 kg per capita per year, the growth rate for consumption is more than 15 percent. At present, less than 1000 ha of wheat are grown in Thailand. However, Studies suggest that more than 120,000 ha are possible. Some of this area is found on the rice paddy areas of Northern Thailand. One major constraint to production is timely planting and the high cost of preparing the soil. This paper describes two systems being researched in South Asia that may be relevant to planting wheat after rice in Thailand. Both these systems reduce the amount of tillage without sacrificing yields while reducing production costs. Surface seeding is the simplest and results from South Asia are described including methods for fertilizer application, moisture management and crop protection issues. Reduced tillage using a Chinese seeder and two wheel tractors is also described. The proposed systems would reduce the cost and problems of establishment of wheat after rice and encourage farmers to expand the area planted to wheat. At the same time, these technologies have the potential to raise input use efficiency and reduce the intensity of machinery use in a sustainable way.
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