Development of innovative farming practices adaptable to the changing climate

Abstract

newline Diversification and intensification of existing maize-wheat cropping system on small, newlineundulating and marginal field with suitable resource conserving practices is the key answer for newlineincreasing the profitability of hill farmers. Keeping in view, an experiment with two tillage newlinemethods viz., minimum/zero tillage and conventional tillage and three cropping systems viz., newlinemaize-wheat, baby corn+frenchbean-pea-summer squash and maize+soybean-gobhi sarson+toria newlinein main plot and two mulch treatments viz., no mulch and crop residue mulch, and two fertilizer newlinetreatments viz., recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) and 75 per cent RDF+25 per cent N newlinethrough FYM in sub-plot was conducted at Palampur, during kharif 2012 rabi 2014. The results newlineshowed that conventional tillage resulted in significantly higher maize grain equivalent yield newline{MGEY (11.2%)}, food availability round the year (13.9%), productivity of the system (11.2%), newlinegross returns (10.6%), net returns (17.3%) and B: C ratio (12.4%) as compared to zero tillage. newlineAmong cropping systems, baby corn+frenchbean-pea-summer squash gave highest MGEY newline(190.7%), food availability round the year (182.1%), productivity of the system (190.5%), gross newlinereturns (121.0%), net return (176.4%) and B: C ratio (64.1%) over the traditional maize-wheat newlinecropping system. Similarly, maize+soybean-gobhi sarson+toria recorded higher MGEY(28.6%), newlineproductivity of the system (28.5%), gross returns (14.1%), net return (18.8%) and B: C ratio newline(8.97%) over maize-wheat cropping system. Significantly higher MGEY (7.4%), food availability newlineround the year (7.5%), productivity of the system (7.5%) and gross returns (6.1%) was recorded newlinewith application of crop residue mulch as comapred to no mulch. Similarly, integrated nutrient newlinemanagement recorded significantly higher MGEY (4.3%), food availability round the year (4.3%) newlineand gross returns (4.4%) over recommended dose of fertilizers. Under zero tillage conditions, newlinecrop residue mulch produced MGEY which was significantly at par to conventional tillag