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Testing, Validation and Up-scaling of Cotton-rice Intercropping in Chittagong Hill Districts

Dr. Md. Farid Uddin
Deputy Director
Cotton Development Board (CDB), Farmgate, Dhaka-1215

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Cotton (Gossypium arboreum) is an important crop for hill farming. It has been cultivated since the prehistoric time in hill districts of Bangladesh. It is an important crop of the tribal people not only for their source of income but also in their religious rites. Hill cotton is a long duration crop and generally hill-farmers grow cotton in Jhum system i.e they cultivate cotton with other crops like rice, maize, chilies, sesame, okra, marpha, pigeon pea etc. in the same pit at a time in hill slope. As a result every crop has to compete to each other for nutrient, moisture, sunshine, air and other growth factors. For intra and inter species competition the yield of cotton, rice and other component crops is low and unstable. On the other hand, in Jhum cultivation environmental pollution and soil erosion is very high. So, there is an urgent need to develop crop production technology incorporating cotton and rice instead of Jhum cultivation. The complete project was taken to Test, Validate and Upscale cotton-rice intercropping technology for three years from 2011 to 2014. The project activities was undertaken in the three hill districts to find out suitable production system for maximizing yield of cotton and rice and also reduce soil erosion. In the first year there were three treatments viz. (1) 1 row rice +1 row cotton (2) 2 row rice + 1 row cotton (3) Farmer’s practice (Jhum) were used in this experiment. This experiment was carried out in three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari. Forty (40) on-farm trials were set in these three hill districts. The result of three years have obtained and presented in the report. The field experiments were conducted in farmer’s field of three hill districts during the period of May, 2012 to September 2014 for three years to test and validate of cotton-rice intercropping technology. During the inception workshop treatments have been revised with the suggestion of experts and researchers. Finally there were five types of treatment structured in first year viz. i. Hill cotton + Shere rice; ii. Hill cotton + BRRI dhan-27; iii. Hybrid cotton + BRRI dhan-27 iv. Hybrid cotton + Shere dhan; v. Hill cotton + Galom rice (local variety) and row arrangement were (1) 1 row rice +1 row cotton (2) 2 row rice + 1 row cotton (3) Farmer’s practice (Jhum) In every treatment structure T₂ means one row cotton and two rows rice performed better in respect of net income or net profit. Hybrid cotton performed better than hill cotton. Field days have been conducted before harvesting the crop for the exposure to the neibouring farmers. KGF high officials and other experts and representatives from different organizations in hill districts have attended the field days. Data of all parameters were taken timely according to the schedule. Collected data of first year have been analyzed statistically through MSTAT programme. In the first year from the experimental result of five types of treatment structure it was found that T₂ means one row cotton and two rows of rice treatment gave higher rice and cotton yield. And also upland (hybrid) cotton yield is higher than hill cotton yield and income. Planting of two rows of rice in between two rows of cotton gave the highest yield. Varietal performance in respect of rice yield was not significant. Even single row of rice between two rows of cotton gave higher yield than jhum. Jhum produced the lowest yield. Results indicated that changing of crop geometry and reducing the number of crops in an intercropping system tends to increase yield. Gross economic return and BCR was also the highest in T₂ treatment. Based on the first year result, the following revision has been taken for 2nd year (2013) trial in three hill districts.

Keywords: Jhum system, Soil erosion, Improved crop production, Hill cotton

Location: Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari district

Start Date: 01-10-2011

End Date: 30-09-2014

Program Area: Farming System

Non-commodity: Up scalling

Objectives:

1. To evaluate the productivity of jhum systems under farmers’ management conditions compared with productivity of rice and cotton intercropping system,

2. Standardizing spatial arrangement of rice and cotton in intercropping systems, and

3. Evaluation of the impact of jhum and cotton –rice intercropping on soil erosion.

Methodology:

There were 40 farmers in the process of implementing the project in three hill districts. Out of 40 farmers, 28 farmers were involved in five sites (Raicha, Bakirchhora, Sharonpara, Chimbuk and Dolupara) in Bandarban districts. Rest of the 12 farmers, 6 farmers at Kawkhali in Rangamati and 6 farmers at Matiranga in Khagrachari districts was involved. CDB personnel have looked after the projects activities; at each location one field assistant was engaged for the data collection in one location. Six farmers have tested local variety of rice intercropped with cotton while 4 farmers have tried for modern variety (BRRI dhan 27) with cotton. At each trial there were three following treatments. During the inception workshop treatments have been revised with the suggestion of experts and researchers. Finally there were five types of treatment structured in first year viz. i. Hill cotton + Shere rice; ii. Hill cotton + BRRI dhan-27; iii. Hybrid cotton + BRRI dhan-27 iv. Hybrid cotton + Shere dhan; v. Hill cotton + Galom rice (local variety). and row arrangement were: T₁ - 1 Row rice + 1 row cotton, T₂ - 2 Row rice + 1 row cotton, T₃ - Farmer’s practice (Jhum). To avoid that situation and to save those 20% yield we have decided to set at least ten number of adaptive will be one month delay from the normal planting of jhum in hill slope. Based on the first year result, the following revision has been taken for 2nd year (2013) trial in three hill districts. a. Normal planting time T₁. Two rows rice grown in between two rows cotton, T₂. Three rows rice grown in between two rows cotton, T₃. Jhum system of cultivation. b. One month later than normal planting time T₁. Two rows rice grown in between two rows cotton T₂. Three rows rice grown in between two rows cotton T₃. Jhum system of cultivation Introduction of modern rice variety (BRRI dhan 27) intercropped with hybrid and HYV cotton and determining optimum row arrangement. The treatment structures were- a. Hybrid cotton + BRRI dhan-27, b. Hybrid cotton + Shere dhan/Cockro, c. CB-12 + Shere dhan/Cockro , d. CB-12 + BRRI dhan-27. Based on the 2nd year result, the following revision has been taken for 3nd year (2014) trial in three hill districts. T₁. Two rows rice grown in between two rows cotton T₂. Three rows rice grown in between two rows cotton T₃. Jhum system of cultivation The treatment structures were- a. CB-12 + Shere rice b. CB-12 + Cockro rice c.. CB-12 + Galom rice d.. CB-12 + Gunda rice Each farmer was thus become a replication. Each farmer was with at least 15 decimals of land allocated for conducting the trial.Approximately the unit plot size was 3m X 14m and the planting configuration is cotton (60cm x 30cm), rice (15cm x 20cm). The adaptive trials had been continue for three seasons with some modifications.

Source of Information: Project Completion Report, CGP Projects: Phase-II (2nd call), Project ID No. (FRP): C 1.2, Funded by KGF

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Krishi Gobeshona Foundation

Budget: 3291150

Total Budget (Tk.) : 3291150

Achievement/Findings:

There are 40-50 thousand ha of hill slope in three hill districts are suitable for growing jhum. As we know jhum is a shifting cultivation and providing very low yield and income of the tribal farmers. By introducing rice-cotton intercropping easily we can increase the yield and income two /three times than existing the yield and income by cultivating jhum in the hill slope. So we can introduce rice-cotton intercropping in three hill districts, it will change the whole economy of tribal people of three hill districts will change. Local rice variety like Shere, Cockrow and galom are more suitable for the hill than BRRI dhan 27. Upland cotton like CB-12, CB-13 and CB-14 are better than hill cotton. Two row of rice with one row of cotton is the best planting arrangement for rice cotton intercropping technology.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings