Impact of tillage methods and cultivars on phenology & productivity of wheat-rice system under irrigated conditions

The research was conducted at the Agricultural Research farm of the Agronomy Department at Palampur, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSK HPKV) and Rice and Wheat Research Center (RWRC) Malan, Himachal Pradesh to study the impact of tillage methods & crop species on phenology & production of wheat-rice crops under irrigated conditions. The study's basic premise was to identify wheat and rice cultivars that can perform well under specific tillage options. The trial was conducted from the winter 2019 to the rainy season of 2021, using a split-plot design. Four tillage methods- zero tillage, conventional tillage, natural farming and reduced tillage- were tested on three species of rice (HPR 2656 (Him Palam Dhan 1), HPR 2795 (Him Palam Dhan Lal 1) & HPR 1156 (Sukara Dhan Lal 1) and three species of wheat (HPW 368 (Him Palam Gehun 2), HS 562 (Central Dwarf wheat) & HPW 349). The results showed that in both crops, traditional farming (conventional tillage) methods were more efficient than other methods in terms of crop yield.Conversely, the lowest grain yields were observed with natural farming for both crops. Specifically, the adoption of zero tillage, natural agriculture, and reduced tillage results in wheat grain yield reductions of 10.9%, 4.6%, and 59.4%, respectively, compared to conventional tillage. Similarly, rice grain yields declined by 10.8%, 34.0%, and 16.1% with zero tillage, natural farming, and reduced tillage, respectively, compared to conventional tillage. Among the cultivars evaluated, HPW 368 for wheat and HPR 2795 for rice produced significantly higher grain yields at both locations over the two years. The findings of the present investigation would help the wheat and rice growers identify suitable cultivars that would be economically grown with varying tillage options and under natural farming conditions.