Rice-Wheat Cropping Systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of India

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large-scale migration of able-bodied male and female labor-force is slowing progress of this region. Wheat There is a very high productivity zone for wheat (4–4.5 t/ha) localized in just 3 districts, viz., Ludhiana and Sangrur in Punjab and Yamunanagar in Haryana (Fig. 7). This zone of high production is encircled by a very large compact block of (3.5–4.0 t grain/ production/ha), comprising almost the whole of the Punjab and the eastern (wet) zone of Haryana. The only exceptions to this zone enlarging to one big compact block, are (i) the low productivity (< 3.0 t/ha) area comprising Sub-Montane Undulating Zone or Kandi on the North, and (ii) the dry districts of south-western Punjab and adjoining area of Haryana, which lack good quality underground water and where introduction of canal water has created problems of waterlogging and soil salinization. The next high productivity area (3.0– 3.5 t/ha) lies in Western Plain Zone, B1 of Uttar Pradesh which stretches from Muzaffarnagar to Ghaziabad. Around this lies the next highest productivity zones (2.5–3.0 t/ha): (i) to the north—district Saharanpur (B1), (ii) along the north-east —districts Moradabad, Rampur and Nainital Tarai plain and Mid-Western Plain (B2), and (iii) in the South-Western Semi-Arid Zone B4 (Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, etc.). Wheat productivity ranges between 2.0–2.5 t/ha over most of the area lying along the central longitude belt formed between River Doabs and stretching from West Bihar border to Western Uttar Pradesh. This, however, seems to be a prospective promising area. The productivity of wheat in this area could be increased to 3.0–3.5 t/ha with little effort, as most of the 26 area lies in a non-restrictive water availability zone and tubewells could provide supplemental irrigation to assure water availability during long periods of drought. Obviously, more concerted efforts need to be undertaken in the northern and southern districts showing an average wheat yield of 1.5–2.0 t/ha. Detailed micro-level constraints analysis, possibly along with strengthening of the water resources, could help break the low-input low-yield syndrome in this zone. Wheat productivity, like that of rice, continues to be very low in the eastern Bihar (1.5–2.0 t/ha) and at places it slips even below 1.5 t/ha level. Here probably introduction of suitable short-duration wheat varieties with terminal heat tolerance specifically bred for these areas could help improve the productivity. Above all, however, control of flooding of agricultural lands holds the ‘key’ to a less risky agriculture. Productivity-wise, ACR III: Lower Gangetic Plain Region of West Bengal seems better placed than Bihar with average productivity of 2.0–2.5 t/ha. The productivity realization could improve further with adoption of area-specific shortduration HYVs and complementation of location-specific crop-agronomic practices. Likewise, the productivity of wheat in the Western Himalayan Region, too, is very low: it is (i) less than 1.5 t/ha in the mountainous region of Kumaon and Garhwal Hills to (ii) 1.5–2.0 t/ha in the Kangra valley and adjoining hill districts of Himachal Pradesh. The cause of low productivity of both wheat and rice in this region is the soil moisture constraints, particularly during the reproductive phase, when most of the water streams dry up and stored soil moisture in the root zone gets depleted. The very low winter
temperatures also could be another factor. But there seems little scope for making any significant breakthrough, except by way of shifting some area from wheat to other less water requiring crops and confining wheat cultivation to heavy soils of good moisture retentivity; and strengthening of irrigation supplies, wherever, possible. Productivity of the Rice- Wheat Cropping System The total productivity of rice + wheat (R+W) in the rice-wheat growing areas of the IGP is depicted in Figure 8. An interesting picture emerges upon plotting the total rice and wheat productivity of RWCS specific to the R-W growing areas. A solid compact block of very high productivity of 7–8 t/ha of rice + wheat is found concentrated in the Trans-Gangetic Plain Region VI (Punjab-Haryana). On the periphery of this very high productivity block, lies the next high productivity area of 6–7 t/ha which comprises the districts of Gurdaspur on the north-west and parts of Haryana (A4) and little further below in South-West Uttar Pradesh, the district of Aligarh. This is followed by zone of 5–6 t/ ha comprising parts of Zone A4 of Haryana, mid-upper part of Western Uttar Pradesh, Zone B1, Tarai Region B2, and South- Western parts of B4 on the eastern flanks. Next to these high productivity zones, north-eastward and south-eastward lies a fourth zone of high productivity. This encompasses the large number of districts of zones B2, B4 and B3 with average R+W productivity of 4–5 t/ha. Another similar productivity area is apparent in (i) southern Bihar (ii) south-eastern Uttar Pradesh (iii) north-eastern parts and in central districts of Uttar Pradesh of Faizabad, Barabanki, etc. A similar range of productivity (4–5 t/ ha) is also observed in West Bengal ACZ D1 (Old and New Alluvial Plain Zones), as well. Elsewhere, the total rice +wheat productivity continues to be dismally low, i.e. less than 3 t/ha, as in eastern Bihar, and 3–4 t/ha as observed over most of the eastern and central Uttar Pradesh, southern Uttar Pradesh, and western Bihar. Thus, high productivity of rice and wheat seems to go hand-in-hand across the IGP. Low productivity seems positively correlated with flood-prone areas (Fig. 9b). Time-trends in Rice and Wheat Temporal trends of area, production and productivity of rice and wheat based on 3year moving averages along with compound growth rates are depicted in Figures 10–16. The detailed analysis for various regions is as under: Rice ACR VI—Trans-Gangetic VI Trans-Gangetic Plain Region (Punjab and Haryana): The rice crop continues to show an overall steady increase in area, production and productivity in this agroclimatic zone, the primary Green- Revolution region in India (Fig. 10). Although productivity appears to be getting plateaued from the 1980s, there are no declining trends observed for any of these three parameters viz., area, production or productivity, which are vitalfrom the national food security point of view. 27
Page 1 and 2: Rice-Wheat Cropping Systems of the
Page 3: Of late, concerns have been express
Page 6 and 7: 6 Table 1. Modified agroclimatic zo
Page 8 and 9: preparatory tillage, puddling and t
Page 10 and 11: a minimal area of rice (confined to
Page 12: However, unambiguous rice area data
Page 22 and 23: incompletely filled grains. Seed da
Page 24 and 25: The fourth band of high rice produc
Page 28 and 29: The compound rate of growth (Table
Page 30 and 31: ineffective extension/inputs servic
Page 32 and 33: encouraging and the ‘Wheat Green
Page 34: esides contributing to intense air
Page 37: Acknowledgements The authors would

Rice-Wheat Cropping Systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of India

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