Wheat Production
Technologies for Eastern UP
Prof. U. P. Singh
Department of Agronomy,
Institute of Agricultural Sciences,
B.H.U. Varanasi, U.P. (India)
Challenges for Food Security
Exploding population – little control / No control
Harvested area shrinking (?)- crop intensification
Greater competition for land, labor and watergood land diverted to other sectors
Increasing production costs
Climate change more apparent – terminal heat,
rusts etc.
Resource fatigue - Reducing factor productivity,
land degradation
‘One size fits all’ approach and untrained
extension staff.
Issues Realized And Solutions
Issues
Solution
Poor land leveling
Precise leveling of lands
Water shortages
Poor quality seed
GW development, save water,
reduce
evaporation,
weed
control
Use of quality seeds
Weed infestation
Integrated weed management
Spray techniques and
equipment
Timely availability of suitable
spray equipments and proper
use of spray techniques
Low tendency of
herbicide use
Popularize and change in mind
set for appropriate herbicide
use
Issues
Machinery problem
(operational)
Diversification of
R-W system
Solution
Machines perfections:
For loose residue situations
Supply of improved quality
machines
Adequate irrigation facilities and
community approach for
diversification
Meeting the Food Security Challenge
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is now a
globally accepted agro-ecological approach to
sustainable intensification of crop production.
CA comprises resource conserving agricultural
production practices that aim to produce more
at less costs while enhancing the quality of the
natural resource base.
CA is all about generating multiple options for
farmers who are endowed differentially.
Conservation Agriculture Means Dramatic
Tillage Reductions Combined with Adequate
Surface Retention of Crop Residues
Conventional Till Systems
CA Zero Till Systems
CA is Enhanced by Diversified,
Economical Crop Rotations
Properly Managed CA Encourages
Sustainable Soil Management
Chemical
Soil Quality
Physical
Soil Quality
Soil
Organic
Matter
Biological
Soil Quality
Conservation
Agriculture
enhances
biological
tillage
instead of
mechanical
tillage
Resource Conserving Technologies (RCTs)
Conventional
1. No-tillage
2. Laser land leveling
3. Direct seeding of rice
4. Leaf colour chart for N
5. Crop diversification
RCTs
Resource conservation technologies in ricewheat systems
Conventional
Unpuddled
Raised bed
Zero-tillage
Tillage
Transplanting
Crop
establishment
Direct-drill-seeding
CA based RCTs options for System
sustainability
Zero tillage
Paired row ZT
Control traffic ZT
Direct seeding
Unpuddled transplanting
Reduced tillage
Bed planting
Surface seeding
Zero Tillage – A cost effective and input
use efficient technology
Advantages of Zero Tillage
Zero Till (ZT) –Wheat Seeding
• Reduced costs (Rs 20002500/ha) due to savings in fuel
and labor
• Timely planting of kharif and
winter season crops, resulting
in higher yields
• Lower density of herbicide
resistance in comparison to
traditional tillage.
• Significant
irrigation
water
savings (up to 15-20%)
• Improved input use efficiency
because of the right placement
of seed and fertilizer nutrients
• Better plant stands
• Less burning of crop resides
Permanent FIRB (Residue managed)
Wheat
Wheat
Mungbean
Rice
Rotavator : An emerging issues
Increased seed rate (160 kg/ha)
Promote sowing by broadcasting the seed
Enhanced weed problem of Phalaris minor/ other weeds
Use of Rotavator - soil compaction - symptomatic problems crop lodging and water logging /chlorosis
Farmers have to apply additional N / P to overcome yellowing
Low productivity (less tillering, small earhead & grain size and
low grain weight )
Rotavators donot operate in presence of residues 4-5 T/ ha
Rotavator use promote burning of crop residues.
Rotavator use need to be Banned
CA Planters for Small-Scale Farmers
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
Date of seeding in different years
2008-09
2009-10
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
Conservation Agriculture
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
6.00
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
19 Dec
12 Dec
5 Dec
29Nov
22 Nov
15 Nov
Yield (t ha-1)
Wheat yield (t ha-1) under different seeding dates during 2002-03 to 2009-10
in CA and CT systems in eastern U. P.
Conventional Tillage
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
No-tillage is a winwin technology
0.7
Tilled
0.6
No till
Rice 2007
Wheat 2005-06
Rice 2005
Wheat 2004-05
Wheat 2003-04
Rice 2003
Wheat 2002-03
0.5
Initial 2002
Organic C (%)
0.8
Helps early sowing
Saves water, labor and diesel
Increases fertilizer use efficiency
Reduced soil erosion
Improves soil organic C
No-till wheat is more tolerant to abrupt
temperature rise: Climate change adaptation
Conventional
RCTs can help
Agriculture in
Beating the Heat
Improved Technological options for wheat
Zero-tillage
Zero-tillage with controlled traffic
Zero tillage paired row ( 5% more yield
gain)
Bed planting – saves seed , water and
labor, improves grain quality and Yield.
Partial Budgeting of CA baed RCTs in wheat
Farmers practice
(US $ ha-1)
ZT Wheat
(US $ ha-1)
27
24
2. Tillage
61
29
3. Fertilizer
67
64
4. Irrigation
19
14
5. Labour
40
36
6. Herbicide/pesticide
24.
30
49
48
287
244
Return from produce
459
567
Net benefit
172
322
Net return over FP
-
150
Benefit-cost ratio
0.60
1.32
Particular
Cost (input)
1. Seed
7. Harvesting & threshing
Total variable cost
Benefit (output)
Wheat grain yield, tillage costs and net income
under different tillage and crop establishment
methods (average of three years)
Farmer
No.
Grain yield
(Mg ha-1)
Tillage cost
(US$ ha-1)
Net income
(US$ ha-1)
152
3.0 b
44 a
375 b
Fresh Bed
Planted
17
4.4 a
38 a
628 a
ZT-Planted
222
3.5 ab
0b
512 a
Treatment
Farmer
Practice
Means within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 level
Wheat Productivity (t/ha) as influenced by CA
based permanent bed planting and CT in RiceWheat system
6
5
4
3
PEB-W
CT
2
1
0
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Suggested work plan for cluster demonstrations
wheat during Rabi season 2011-12 in Eastern U.P
Sites
1. Chandauli
Village clusters
2. Ghazipur
Village clusters
CA based RCTs Demonstration/promotion on Wheat
1. Seed priming and treatment
2. Cultivar choices
3. Zero tillage – Wheat
4. Paired row planting and Controlled traffic
5. Dry seeding and post sowing irrigation
6. Residue managed zero tillage wheat
7. Surface seeded- wheat Low lying areas
8. Introduction of improved Zero-till drills
9. Promote custom service of Zero till machines
10. Residue management and Basal N Management
11. Multi-boom sprayers -Flat fan nozzles
12. Adapting to terminal heat in wheat
13. Relay planting of Mungbean
14. Travelling Seminar / Training on 'better bet'
conservation agriculture based practices