Conservation Agriculture Technologies for the Rice Blackgram Cropping System Under Hilly Zone of Karnataka

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted under rainfed conditiopn on performance of newlineconservation tillage and crop management practices (Strip block design) with single newlinecontrol (RCBD) at the Agricultural Research Station, Mundgod, UAS, Dharwad during newlinekharif and rabi 2014-16. No tillage with BBF or no tillage with flatbed with crop newlineresidues retained on the surface recorded significantly higher rice equivalent yield newline(REY) (104.57 and 98.72 q ha-1), production efficiency (42.68 and 40.29 kg ha-1 newlineday-1), net returns ( 1,09,528 and 1,02,816 ha-1), maximum water holding capacity newline(53.00 to 52.08%), aggregate stability (40.91 and 39.14%), infiltration rate (13.16 and newline12.55 mm hr-1) total porosity (53.77 and 53.08%), penetration resistance (274.46 and newline295.92 Kpa) and reduced bulk density (1.225 and 1.243 g cc-1) and also increased in soil newlineorganic carbon (0.54 and 0.57%), Available NPK (223.38 and 218.51, 23.67 and 22.51, newline248.68 and 242.35 kg ha-1 respectively) and significantly higher microbial activity over newlinethe conventional tillage. All conservation tillage practices saved the energy requirement newline(21.85 to 40.01%) as compared to conventional tillage practices. Recommended newlinepackage of practices (RPP) + brown manuring (BM) of sunnhemp found superior over newlineinorganic nutrient and pest management, which recorded significantly higher rice yield newline(40.69 q ha-1), straw yield (5.39 q ha-1), number of tillers m-2 (573), number of panicles newlinem-2 (547), grains panicle-1 (154.68), panicle length (22.05 cm), test weight (24.45 g) and newlinehigher dry matter production (1193.45 g m-2) at harvest. Interaction effect of no tillage newlinewith BBF or no tillage with flatbed with crop residues retained on the surface and RPP newline+ BM of sunnhemp recorded significantly higher REY (36.25 and 30.94%), net returns newline(53.50 and 50.52%), water use efficiency (6.84 to 32.76%) and net energy saving (4.74 newlineto 42.37%) and improved soil moisture content, physical, chemical and biological newlineproperties of soil over rest of the treatment combinations. newline