TABLE 1.
Scenario | Scenario depiction | Drivers of change | Crop rotations | Tillage | Crop establishment method | Residue management | Nutrient management (NPK, kg/ha) | Water management |
ScI | CT-RW | Business as usual (Farmer’s Practice) | Rice-Wheat- Fallow | CT-CT | Rice: Transplantin Wheat: Broadcast | All residue removed | Rice: 175 + 58 + 0 Wheat: 150 + 58 + 0 | Rice: Continuous flooding of 5-cm depth for 1 month, followed by irrigation applied at hair-line crack Wheat: Need based irrigation or at critical crop growth stages |
ScII | Partial CA-RW | Increase food production, income & nutrition through intensification and best management practices | Rice-Wheat-Mungbean | CT-ZT-ZT | Rice: Transplanting Wheat: Drill seeding Mungbean: Drill/relay | Full (100%) rice and anchored wheat residue retained on soil surface; full mungbean residue incorporated | Rice: 151 + 58 + 60 Wheat: 151 + 64 + 32 Mungbean: o + o + o | Rice: Continuous flooding of 5-cm depth for first 15-20 days after transplanting ‘fb’ irrigation at −40 to −50 kPa matric potential at 15-cm depth till 1 wk before flowering |
‘Wheat: Flood irrigation at −40 to −50 kPa matric potential | ||||||||
ScIII | Partial CSA-RW | Deal with rising scarcity of labor, water, energy, malnutrition, degrading soil health and emerging climatic variability | Rice-Wheat-Mungbean Wheat: Drill seeding | ZT-ZT-ZT | Rice: Drill seeding Mungbean: Drill/relay | Full (100%) rice and Mungbean; anchored wheat residue retained on soil surface | Rice: 162 + 64 + 62 Wheat: 151 + 64 + 32 Mungbean: o + o + o | Rice: Kept soil wet for first 20 days ‘fb’ irrigation at −20 to −30 kPa matric potential Wheat: Flood irrigation at −40 to −50 kPa matric potential |
ScIV | Partial CSA-MW | Sustainable intensification (SI) with futuristic cropping system to deal with same issues as in scenario 3 | Maize-wheat- Mungbean | ZT-ZT-ZT | Maize: Drill seeding Wheat: Drill seeding Mungbean: Drill/relay | Maize (65%) and full mungbean; anchored wheat residue retained on soil surface | Maize: 174 + 64 + 62 Wheat: 151 + 64 + 32 Mungbean: o + o + o | Flood Irrigation at −50 kPa in maize and −40 to −50 kPa matric potential in wheat |
ScV | CSA-RW | SI of RW system with CA + to deal with same issues as in scenario 3 | Rice-Wheat-Mungbean | ZT-ZT-ZT | Same as in scenario 3 | Same as in scenario 3 | Rice: 130 + 64 + 62 Wheat: 121 + 64 + 32 Mungbean: o + o + o N in rice- 8 splits & wheat- 4 splits through SSD Fertigation | Sub surface drip irrigation (SSDI) at −20 to −30 kPa in rice and −40 to −50 kPa matric potential in wheat |
ScVI | CSA-MW | SI of MW systems through CA + to deal same issues as in scenario 3 | Maize-wheat- Mungbean | ZT-ZT-ZT | Same as in scenario 4 | Same as in scenario 4 | Maize: 139 + 64 + 62 Wheat: 121 + 64 + 32 Mungbean: o + o + o N in maize- 3 splits & wheat- 4 splits through SSD Fertigation | Sub surface drip irrigation (SSDI) at −50 kPa in maize and −40 to −50 kPa matric potential in wheat |
Where: CT, conventional tillage; ZT, zero till; CA, conservation agriculture; SI, sustainable intensification; SSD, sub surface drip; SSDI, sub surface drip irrigation; N, nitrogen; P, phosphorus; K, potassium.