Rainfed rice - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

etter in the broadcast and row-seeded system than either of these pure
crops.
Major Cropping Systems and Their Management
In the plateau uplands, several options of mixed cropping of rice with
legumes or cereals, especially drought-tolerant crops and varieties, were
evaluated in farmers’ fields. These included green gram, black gram,
pigeonpea, soybean, groundnut, cowpea and ragi (millet) and their methods
of establishment and spacing. Rice plus red gram and rice plus black gram
were profitable but unstable over time. Rice + ragi was stable as well as
somewhat economical. From last year’s results, it is concluded that mixed
cropping in uplands during kharif provides a measure against crop failure
due to drought rather than higher productivity and profitability.
The agronomic feasibility (higher yield) of a cropping system does not
necessarily mean higher income on a sustained basis. Therefore, one of the
issues dealt with in cropping systems research is to determine the
profitability and sustainability of different cropping systems.
Economic analyses of different systems tested show jute-rice-lentil to be the
most profitable, followed by jute-rice-wheat in submergence-prone lowlands
in West Bengal. For the rainfed lowlands of Orissa, it is jute-early rice-
sesamum, followed by jute-late rice-mungbean. In Assam, it is rice followed
by pea. In submergence- and drought-prone lowlands of Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh, it is rice-wheat, followed by rice-lentil and rice-linseed in
Uttar Pradesh and rice-horse gram in Madhya Pradesh.
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