Assessment of productivity, profitability and energetics of rice-based cropping sequences in irrigated ecosystem of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2011 and 2012 at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to evaluate effect of cropping sequences on productivity, energetic and economics on rice-based cropping system. Rice-potato-green gram crop sequence recorded the highest system productivity (52.0 kg ha-1 day1) fallowed by rice-vegetable pea-lady's finger and rice-maize (cob) + vegetable pea (1:2)-cowpea fodder crop sequences. However, the highest energy use efficiency was recorded in rice-maize (green cob) + vegetable pea (1:2)-cowpea fodder (2.98) closely followed by rice wheat (2.80) sequence. Rice-green gram and rice-maize (cob) + vegetable pea (1:2)-cowpea fodder produced 185.7 MJ haa and 169.9 MJ ha1 gross output energy, respectively. With substitution of wheat by mustard in rabi and intensification in summer season with green gram recorded the highest energy productivity (258.6 g MJ-1). Gross return (Rs. 259159), net return (Rs. 150227), B: C ratio (2.38) as well as system profitability (Rs. 412 ha-1 day-1) was recorded maximum in rice-potato-green gram crop sequence followed by rice-vegetable pea-lady's finger crop sequence. © Copyright EM International.