Wheat Farming Essay

Rice-Wheat Farming Adaptation to Agro-ecosystem and Weather The rice-wheat farming system in the Indo-Gangetic plain occupies 13.5 M ha of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In India rice-wheat farming system is the major source of food security as it produces 85% of cereal in 10 M ha. Initially large scale cultivation of in the North-western Indo-gangetic plain was wheat and Eastern Indo gangetic plain was rice due to the favourable climate. The adaptation and expansion of Rice-Wheat farming system of China in India occurred with the development of short duration varieties of rice and wheat (Timsina and Connor, 2004). In addition to indo-gangetic plain Rice-wheat farming system is practised in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and south west of India. In this farming system the cropping pattern is rice in the warm wet summers (June - October) and wheat in dry cool winters (November to March) in a calendar year (Ladha, 2003) . The productivity increased in the period 1960’s to 1990’s due to green revolution ( ). In the last decade the yield is stagnant and declining in some places. Conservation agriculture is preferred …show more content…
This method excludes 7-8 ploughing of land preparation and save diesel, labour cost. Thus wheat is sown earlier than in conventional method. In conventional method the land preparation delays wheat sowing date. The coincidence of the thermal heat with the wheat reproductive stage cause poor grain filling and reduce yield by 1- 1.5% /day (after November 20). The residual water of previous rice crop is conserved and utilised due to zero-tillage. The first irrigation takes less time as the water flow fast in untilled land and save 25% water. Zero – tillage also conserve soil structure and organic matter. There is increase in yield and net revenue due to timely sowing and reduced land preparation cost