Effect of Irrigation, Tillage and Residue Retention on Performance and Economics of Soybean–Wheat Cropping System

A field experiment was conducted during 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Post Graduate Institute Research Farm, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahilyanagar Maharashtra (India). The soil of experimental field was sandy loam in texture with low in available nitrogen (181.25 kg ha-1), medium in available phosphorous (15.70 kg ha-1) and very high in potassium (470.40 kg ha-1). The soil organic carbon content, pH and EC were 0.55 %, 8.04, and 0.32 dSm-1, respectively. The physical properties of soil viz., field capacity (33.35 %), permanent wilting point (16.67 %) and bulk density (1.28 g cm-3) indicates that soil was good in water retention capacity. The experiment was laid out in split plot design during kharif season and split-split plot design during rabi season with three replications. The treatment consists of four main plot treatments of irrigation scheduling i.e. DASM- depletion of available soil moisture viz., I1 – 40 % of DASM, I2 – 50 % of DASM, I3 – 60 % of DASM and I4 – As per CGS (critical growth stages) and two sub plot treatments of tillage practices viz., T1 – Zero tillage, T2 – Conventional tillage for kharif soybean. During rabi season the main and sub plot treatments remain same but the sub plot treatments were divided into three sub plot treatments of crop residue management viz., R1 – No crop residue, R2 – Crop residue, R3 - Crop residue + composting culture to wheat crop as a sub-sub plot treatment. The conventional tillage practice and scheduling of irrigation at 40 per cent of DASM to kharif soybean followed by cultivation of rabi wheat under conventional tillage practice with scheduling of irrigation at 40 per cent of DASM and application of soybean crop residue + composting culture obtained higher system productivity, production efficiency and economic efficiency, gross monetary returns, net monetary returns and B:C ratio in soybean-wheat cropping system.