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Long-term Bed Planting Trial for Improving Crops and Soil Productivity in Drought Prone Areas in Bangladesh

Md. Ilias Hossain*
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh.

Md. Jahedul Islam
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh.

M.R.I Mondal
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh.

M. A. Hakim
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh.

Gathala. Mahesh
CIMMYT, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A long term bed planting field experiment was conducted to study the productivity, soil fertility and N use efficiency of intensified RW systems by adding a third pre-rice crop of mungbean. System productivity, fertility and N use efficiency were evaluated under five N fertilizer levels (0, 40, 80, 100 and 120 % N of recommended dose, two straw retention (SR) (0 and 30%) and two tillage options (raised bed and conventional tillage practice (CTP). Permanent beds with 30% straw retention produced the highest productivity for all three crops in the sequence. Within each N rate the total system (rice-wheat-mungbean) productivity was greatest with 30% SR on PRB and least in CTP with 0% SR. At 80% of recommended fertilizer N rate, mean annual system productivity was 12.5 t/ha for PRB with 30% SR, 11.2 t/ha with PRB on 0% SR and 10.3 t/ha with CTP without straw. N uptake and use efficiency were increased with increasing N levels with bed planting up to 120% N application (120 kg N ha^-1) in wheat, both 100% (80 kg N ha^-1) in rice and (20 kg N ha^-1) in mungbean for all years. System productivity in N unfertilized plots increased when straw was retained due to increased supply and uptake of N. The results suggest that N fertilizer rates 2 can be reduced when straw is retained. Soil organic matter in surface soil layers of the PRB had increased by 0.72% after seven years (8 rice-wheat-mungbean crop cycles) with 30% SR. Straw retention is an important component of soil management and may have long term positive impacts on soil quality compared with conventional tillage with 0% SR. The combination of PRB with nutrients and residues retained appears to be a very promising technology for sustainable intensification of RW systems in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Raised bed, Cropping systems, Productivity, Sustainable and Drought.

Location: Regional Wheat Research Centre, Shyampur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Start Date: 25-11-2004

End Date:

Program Area: Risk Management in Agriculture

Commodity: Land development productivity

Objectives:

Objectives of the study were to:

evaluate yields of intensive multicrop wheat-mungbean-rice sequences on PRB compared with those grown on conventionally tilled systems.
assess the effect of mulching on crop performance and soil properties on PRB
assess N level effects on productivity and estimate N uptake and use efficiency
study the changes in soil properties over time.

Methodology:

A cool season wheat (Triticum aestivum)-spring mungbean (Vigna radiata)-monsoon rice (Oryza sativa) cropping pattern was implemented over 8 years, starting with wheat sown in November 25, 2004, at the Regional Wheat Research Centre, Shyampur, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Total rainfall was highest during the mungbean season and lowest in the wheat season in all years. The trial involved a three-crop (rice-wheat-mungbean (RWM) annual rotation planted on raised beds and cultivated flats. Rice was transplanted (one 25-days-old seedling per hill) with hill-to-hill spacing of 15 cm and line-to-line spacing on the beds of 30 cm in late July and harvested in late November by hand. Wheat was planted at the nationally recommended seeding rate of 100 and 120 kg/ha for beds and conventional, respectively, in late November and harvested in late March. After harvest of wheat, mungbean (Vigna radiata) was planted at the same time at the nationally recommended seeding rate of 35 kg/ha for mungbean in early April and harvested in mid July for both beds and conventional layout. The trial was originally established as a PRB experiment with two straw management practices (main plots-30% straw retention (SR) and 0% SR) and five N levels (subplots 0, 40, 80, 100 and 120% of recommended). The area of each subplot was 15 m² (5m x 3m). The experiment consisted of 20 subplots with four tillage or straw treatments (30% SR + PRB, 30% SR + CTP, 0% SR + PRB and 0% SR + CTP) and five N levels (0, 40, 80, 100 and 120% recommended) with three replicates. After planting the wheat or rice, straw from the preceding cereal crop was returned as mulch into the plot from which it had been removed at harvest. After harvesting and threshing, the rice and wheat straw were returned without chopping as standing way. The width of the beds was 60 cm (furrow to furrow) and the depth of the furrows on average was 15 cm. Two rows of wheat (var. Shatabdi) or rice (var. BRRI dhan49) with a spacing of 30 cm, were planted by hand sowing on the beds, two rows of rice on the beds, Mungbean (var. BARI Mungbean-6) was sown by bed former in the furrows between the beds and indicator plant to assess microbial activity in the soil environment. The mungbean was harvested about 60 days after sowing (DAS). In CTP, wheat, rice and mungbean were planted in 20 cm, 30 x 15 cm (row x plant) and 30 cm rows, respectively. A basal dose of P (20, 22 and 26 kg/ha) from triple super phosphate, K (15, 35 and 33 kg/ha) from muriate of potash and S (10, 11 and 20 kg/ha) from gypsum was applied to mungbean, rice and wheat, respectively. In rice the entire amount of PKS was broadcast before transplanting and mulching on both PRB and CTP. For CTP the fertilizer was broadcast before tillage as is the usual practice. The recommended rate of N (80 kg/ha for rice, 100 kg/ha for wheat and 20 kg/ha for mungbean) was applied as urea. For mungbean all N was applied before seeding. With CTP, N was broadcast, while with beds it was banded on top of the soil between two rows in three equal installments 15, 30 and 45 days after transplanting. With wheat, two-thirds of the N was applied before seeding and the remaining one-third at crown root initiation (CRI).

Statistical analysis of data: Microsoft Excel and DMRT were used to determine the significant difference between treatments. Simple correlation was determined following the computer package SPSS. Treatment means were compared using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at P ≤ 0.05. Multiple Range Test (DMRT) (Gomez and Gomez, 1984). The data were analyzed statistically following computer package MSTAT- All the data were statistically analyzed following the ANOVA technique and the significance of mean differences was adjusted by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test

Source of Information: Journal of Dynamics in Agricultural Research Vol. 1(5), pp.44-52, December 2014

Article Link (Online Journal): http://journaldynamics.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Hossain-et-al.pdf

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Retention of 30% crop residues together with zero-till permanent bed soil systems offer an important soil restorative management strategy likely to have a longterm positive impact on soil quality and crop productivity in intensive rice-wheat-mungbean (RWM) cropping systems in Bangladesh. Crop productivity on beds with 30% straw retention rose by about 11% for rice, 17% for wheat and 21% for mungbean at 100% N rates over a 7 year cycle of the RWM cropping pattern compared with 0% SR+PRB at the same N rate. Compared with conventional tillage practice, crop productivity on PRB with 50% for rice, wheat and mungbean crops, respectively at 100% N rates over a 7 year cycle of the RWM cropping pattern. Yield in N unfertilized rice, wheat and mungbean increased when straw was retained and this appeared to be due to an increased uptake of N. This increased in soil N supply led to a reduction in N use efficiency in the N-fertilized plots, suggesting that N fertilizer application rates can be reduced when straw is retained. Retention of crop residues as a mulch reduced moisture depletion and increased SOM content over relatively short periods of time. Fertilizer use efficiency may be increased by implementing permanent bed management in addition to reducing weed and crop lodging problems. Permanent raised beds will also help ameliorate the adverse effects of tillage on soil structure, which lead to water logging under excess water conditions and hamper establishment, growth and development of most crops including mungbean. The use of PRB reduced the overall cost of production and long turnaround time. Thus, the results showed that PRB with straw retention can help to sustainable intensify RW systems to RWM systems under high degrees of management on research stations in Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal