Sustaining Rice-Wheat Cropping System Productivity in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

JIRCAS international symposium series
ISSN 13406108
書誌レコードID(総合目録DB) AA1100908X
本文フルテキスト
Rice-Wheat cropping system which involves the growing of rice and wheat crops on the same piece of land in different seasons in a year, has emerged as a major production system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia over the past nearly three decades. Spread over four countries of the region, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, the rice-wheat cropping system is currently practiced over some 12 million ha of prime agricultural lands and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the region's foodgrain production. The productivity of rice and wheat crops and of the system rose rapidly following the introduction of Green Revolution Technologies, although the gains in productivity were not uniform across the region. Large-scale adoption of rice and wheat cultivars with a high yield potential, increased use of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals and spread of irrigation were the key elements of technology interventions. Of late, however, there is increasing evidence to suggest that the productivity growth has slowed and that the use of productivity-enhancing inputs appears to be approaching saturation. The reasons for yield stagnation and decline are not fully understood although these are not likely to be the same across the region. Declining soil fertility resulting from the depletion of nutrients, their unbalanced application and reduced recycling of organic matter, water-induced degradation of soil and water resources, leading to spread of salinity and water balance aberrations, increase in the incidence of diseases and pests and loss in biodiversity are some of the factors that adversely affect the sustainability of the production system. The presentation will highlight the need for a new research paradigm that emphasizes approaches that will result in increased productivity while ensuring the long-term quality of the resource base and environment in our efforts to achieve food security in the region.
作成者 Inder P. Abrol
公開者 Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
オンライン掲載日
6
開始ページ 155
終了ページ 166
言語 eng

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