Diversification of rice (Oryza sativa)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) system and its influence on productivity, profitability and energetics under on-farm situation

A field experiment was conducted at farmers’ fields in the district Nainital, Uttarakhand, during 2011–12 and 2012–13, to find out the alternate efficient cropping systems for rice (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol.) system in western Himalayas. Five cropping systems including the existing rice-wheat were tested at 24 farmers’ fields as researcher designed farmer managed trials. The rice equivalent yield of rice-chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)-vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) was the highest (23.7 t/ha), followed by rice-wheat-vegetable cowpea (19.3 t/ha), rice-vegetable pea (Pisum spp.)-maize for cob (Zea mays L.) (17.4 t/ha) and rice-lentil (Lens esculenta (L.) Moench)-maize (fodder) (16.2 t/ha) systems. Existing rice-wheat system recorded rice equivalent yield of 11.8 t/ha, which is 50% lesser than rice-chickpea-vegetable cowpea system. The rice-chickpea-vegetable pea cropping system also recorded the highest net returns (222.2×103/ha) followed by rice-wheat-vegetable cowpea (203.6×103/ha) and rice-vegetable pea-maize (cob) (194.1×103/ha) systems. The highest benefit: cost ratio (1.91) was recorded with the rice-chickpea-vegetable cowpea system owing to its lower cost of cultivation and higher returns. Highest energy-use efficiency ratio (5.25) was recorded with the rice-lentil-maize (fodder) system. This system also produced second highest energy input-output efficiency (0.62MJ/ha/day), which is very close to the highest energy input-output efficiency (0.63 MJ/ha/day) of traditional rice-wheat system.