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 water-
good 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 GW development, save water,
reduce evaporation, weed
control
Poor quality seed Use of quality seeds
Weed infestation Integrated weed management

Spray techniques and Timely availability of suitable

equipment spray equipments and proper
use of spray techniques
Low tendency of Popularize and change in mind
herbicide use set for appropriate herbicide
use
 Issues Solution
Machinery problem Machines perfections:
(operational) For loose residue situations
Supply of improved quality
machines

Diversification of Adequate irrigation facilities and

R-W system 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

Soil
Organic
Matter
Physical Biological
Soil Quality Soil Quality
Conservation
Agriculture
enhances
biological
tillage
instead of
mechanical
tillage
 Resource Conserving Technologies (RCTs)

Conventional RCTs
1. No-tillage

2. Laser land leveling

3. Direct seeding of rice

4. Leaf colour chart for N

5. Crop diversification
 Resource conservation technologies in rice-
wheat systems

Conventional Unpuddled Raised bed Zero-tillage

Tillage

Transplanting Direct-drill-seeding
Crop
establishment
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
• Reduced costs (Rs 2000-
2500/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
Zero Till (ZT) –Wheat Seeding
• Better plant stands
• Less burning of crop resides
 Permanent FIRB (Residue managed)
Wheat Mungbean

Wheat 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
 Yield (t ha-1)

0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
15 Nov
22 Nov
29Nov
5 Dec

2002-03
12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
29Nov
5 Dec

2003-04
12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
29Nov
5 Dec

2004-05
12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
29Nov
5 Dec

2005-06
12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
Conservation Agriculture

29Nov
5 Dec

2006-07
12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
29Nov
in CA and CT systems in eastern U. P.

5 Dec
2007-08

Date of seeding in different years

12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
Conventional Tillage

22 Nov
29Nov
5 Dec
2008-09

12 Dec
19 Dec
15 Nov
22 Nov
Wheat yield (t ha-1) under different seeding dates during 2002-03 to 2009-10

29Nov
5 Dec
2009-10

12 Dec
19 Dec
Organic C (%) 0.8

0.7
No-tillage is a win-
0.6 Tilled win technology
No till

0.5
Wheat 2002-03

Wheat 2003-04

Wheat 2004-05

Wheat 2005-06
Initial 2002

Rice 2003

Rice 2005

Rice 2007
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

RCTs can help

Agriculture in
Conventional 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 ZT Wheat

Particular
(US $ ha-1) (US $ ha-1)

Cost (input)
1. Seed 27 24
2. Tillage 61 29
3. Fertilizer 67 64
4. Irrigation 19 14
5. Labour 40 36
6. Herbicide/pesticide 24. 30
7. Harvesting & threshing
49 48

Total variable cost 287 244

Benefit (output)
Return from produce 459 567
Net benefit 172 322
Net return over FP - 150
Benefit-cost ratio 0.60 1.32
 Wheat grain yield, tillage costs and net income
under different tillage and crop establishment
methods (average of three years)

Farmer Grain yield Tillage cost Net income

Treatment No. (Mg ha-1) (US$ ha-1) (US$ ha-1)

Farmer
152 3.0 b 44 a 375 b
Practice
Fresh Bed
17 4.4 a 38 a 628 a
Planted
ZT-Planted 222 3.5 ab 0b 512 a
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 Rice-
Wheat system
6

3 PEB-W
CT
2

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 CA based RCTs Demonstration/promotion on Wheat

1. Seed priming and treatment
1. Chandauli 2. Cultivar choices
Village clusters 3. Zero tillage – Wheat
4. Paired row planting and Controlled traffic
2. Ghazipur 5. Dry seeding and post sowing irrigation
Village clusters 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