Sustainable Rice Production Through Farming Systems Approach

• Published in: Journal of sustainable agriculture 2009-04, Vol.33 (3), p.272-284
• Main Authors: Manjunath, B.L, Korikanthimath, V.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal manures; Arachis hypogaea; broiler chickens; composted manure; cover crops; crop rotation; cropping system; cumulative effect; fallow; field experimentation; grain yield; integration; legumes; mushroom growing; organic fertilizers; Oryza sativa; poultry manure; recycled manure; rice; rice straw; soil fertility; soil organic carbon; spent mushroom compost; sustainability yield index; sustainable agriculture; vegetable crops
• ISSN: 1044-0046; 1540-7578
• DOI: 10.1080/10440040802508229

Field experiments were conducted for three years (from 1999 to 2002) at ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Old Goa, Goa, India, to identify a productive and sustainable cropping system with rice. Three major cropping systems common to the coastal region of India (rice-groundnut, rice-cowpea, and rice-vegetables) were compared with rice-fallow and rice-green manure (sunnhemp) systems. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with three replications in fixed plots. Integration of mushroom production and broiler poultry rearing were studied with the cropping systems. Three recycled manures from the integrated systems (FYM, poultry manure, and paddy straw with mushroom spent substrate) were applied to rice during the rainy season and were compared with no recycled manure treatment in main plots with cropping systems as subplots. The highest rice yield (5866 kg/ha) was observed when green manure (sunnhemp) was grown under recycled FYM and was followed by rice-brinjal rotation involving paddy straw and mushroom spent substrate (5761 kg/ha). The mean grain yield was enhanced by 18% (769 kg/ha increase) with groundnut rotation as compared with rice-fallow system by the third season. Among the manurial resources, recycling of paddy straw with mushroom spent substrate recorded consistently better performance with a mean yield increase of 365 kg/ha compared with no recycling of manure. The rice-groundnut system was found more stable in terms of yield potential as reflected by higher sustainability yield index (0.78) and was followed by the rice-brinjal system (0.75). Paddy straw with mushroom spent substrate recorded the highest SYI (0.75) as compared with others, indicating that the practice is more sustainable. Incorporation of paddy straw along with mushroom spent substrate over a period of years had a beneficial cumulative effect on soil fertility. Although the effect of cropping systems on soil organic carbon was not appreciable, the rice-groundnut system was observed to increase the soil organic carbon marginally.