Integrated Soil Water And Nutrient Management For Sustainable Rice Wheat Cropping Systems In Asia

"The rice-wheat system is the predominant cropping system in Asia, providing food, employment and income, ensuring the livelihoods of about one billion resource poor people. However, the productivity of the current rice-wheat systems is seriously threatened by increasing land degradation and scarcity of water and labour, inefficient cropping practices and other emerging socioeconomic and environmental drivers. Responding to the need to develop alternate crop establishment methods and improved cropping practices, this publication summarizes the results from a joint FAO/IAEA coordinated research project on optimizing productivity and sustainability of rice-wheat cropping systems. It provides relevant information on how to modify existing water and nutrient management systems and improve soil management in both traditional and emerging crop establishment methods for sustainable intensification of cereal production in Asia."--Publisher's description

Responding to the need to develop alternate crop establishment methods and improved cropping practices, this publication summarizes the results from a joint FAO/IAEA coordinated research project on optimizing productivity and sustainability of rice-wheat cropping systems.

Agriculture is the main occupation in India and about 75% of its population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. It is the dominant sector that contributes 18% of the gross domestic product. Thus, agriculture is the foundation of the Indian economy. The maximum share of Indian exports is also from the agriculture sector. As the population of the country is increasing trem- dously, approximately at the rate of 19 million every year over the existing popu- tion of more than 1 billion (approximately 1. 18 billion), the food grain production must necessarily be increased. This can be done by increasing crop production to match the population growth rate of 2. 2% per annum, which is expected to stabilize at 1. 53 billion around 2050. There is no doubt that the Green Revolution in India during the late 1960s brought self-sufficiency in food grain production, mainly through the increase in rice and wheat crop yields – the two main crops of the country which play an important role from food security point of view. However, the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the neglect of organic manures for these crops, has resulted in the deterioration of physical, chemical and biological health of the ri- and wheat-growing soils. Owing to the deterioration of the health of these soils, the productivity of the rice–wheat cropping system has now either got reduced or in some places has become constant for the last decade.

The lives of more than a billion people depend on the answer! This valuable book surveys the problems of the rice-wheat cropping system practiced on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). Introduced at the time of the Green Revolution, it transformed agriculture and produced thirty years of bumper crops. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Efficient Production Management offers scientific analysis of the aftereffects of this intense cropping. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Efficient Production Management focuses on the questions of soil depletion, pest infestation, and soil alkalinity as elements of declining productivity. Along with clear charts, maps, and graphs, it provides practical suggestions for improving and maintaining the productivity of this irreplaceable farmland. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia looks at the problems that have arisen for both the rice and wheat phases, including: depletion of micronutrients degradation of major nutrients from unbalanced fertilization practices infestations of nematodes increasing soil alkalinity as a result of irrigation It also suggests solutions for maintaining productivity, including: integrated pest management sustainable agriculture micronutrient fertilizers This informative book and its companion volume, The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Trends, Constraints, Productivity and Policy, are essential planning tools for agronomists, policymakers, and agroeconomists. It is also a useful reference for anyone interested in the problems of famine and intensive cropping not only in South Asia but in the world.

The lives of more than a billion people depend on the answer! Thirty years ago, the Green Revolution changed the way agriculture was practiced on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). This valuable book critically analyzes and discusses the rice-wheat cropping system introduced at that time. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia: Trends, Constraints, Productivity and Policy addresses the crucial question, ”Are the sustainability and productivity of this system in a state of decline?” The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia brings together information gathered from research institutions, government organizations, and farmer surveys. The analysis concentrates on the trends of rice-wheat cropping over time, paying special attention to the evidence of-and reasons for-changes in productivity. It also analyzes the impact of this regional system on soil fertility and water supplies, as well as the increasing demands for new and better fertilizers and pesticides. The Rice-Wheat Cropping System of South Asia looks at the problems that have arisen for both the rice and wheat phases, including: the need for changes in crop establishment techniques for crop diversification declining soil fertility changes in pest populations a host of water-management issues the need for policy redirection to sustain productivity growth the impact of global climate change sustainable improvements in productivity This informative book is an essential planning tool for agronomists, policymakers, and agroeconomists. It is also a useful reference for anyone interested in the problems of famine and intensive cropping not only in South Asia but in the world.

Addressing a topic of major importance to the maintenance of world food supplies, this reference identifies knowledge gaps, defines priorities, and formulates recommendations for the improvement of the rice-wheat farming system. The book reveals new systems of rice intensification and management and illustrates the application of no-till and conservation farming to the rice-wheat system. With contributions from 65 international experts, and case studies from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Sustainable Agriculture and the International Rice-Wheat System focuses on seeding equipment and residue management, weed control, water and nutrient efficiency, and integrated pest management.

During the past 30 years, crop yields, particularly of rice, have been greatly increased in many Asian countries by advances in plant breeding and by the application of nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizers. This has become known as the "Green Revolution", which has been a major factor underpinning the rapid growth of Asian economies, providing a cheap, indigenous food supply. However, while human populations continue to increase, in many cases yields are no longer being sustained, due to a reduction in soil quality. Thus, food security in Asia has again become a source of concern. This book is the result of an international conference held in Bali in December 1996, initiated by The World Phosphate Institute (IMPHOS) to discuss the action which must be taken to reverse soil degradation and improve nutrient levels. It includes papers and working group reports on nutrient management and balance, the potential of different phosphate sources, rock phosphate efficiency in acid upland soils, current usage and future requirements for fertilizers, sustainability and the environment, and policy and pricing. Finally, there is a summary and conference resolution. Contributors to the book come from Europe, USA, Australia and many Asian countries. It is essential reading for soil scientists and agronomists concerned with agriculture in Asia and will also be of interest to environmentalists, ecologists and economists concerned with sustainable natural resource management.