Effect of crop establishment and tillage practices in rice (Oryza sativa)-based cropping systems

A field study was undertaken during 2003-07 at Modipuram to assess the effect of rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop establishment methods on hybrid rice and their carry over effect on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori & Paol.), Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.Czemj. & Coss.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) yield, energy use and soil properties. Maximum mean yield of rice (8.50 tonnes/ha) was obtained with drum seeding-wet bed.The direct seeding-dry bed adopted in rice crop resulted in higher yield of succeeding crops of wheat (5.71 tonnes/ha), chickpea (2.20 tonnes/ha) and Indian mustard (1.86 tonnes/ha). Significantly higher weed intensity and weed dry matter were recorded in mustard under direct seeding-dry bed. The drum seeding-wet bed required 3.6% less input energy and gave 9.0% higher output energy, whereas, direct seeded-dry bed required 2.6% less input and gave 8.5% higher output energy as compared to manually transplanted puddled. Changes in soil physico-chemical properties after 4 years indicated that the highest infiltration rate (1.32 cm/hr) and lowest bulk density (1.46 Mg/m 3 ) were recorded under direct seeding-dry bed, while organic C, total N, available P and K were increased by 4.08, 31.82,7.59 and 30.5% over their initial content under mechanical transplanting-puddled.