Climate-resilient strategies for wheat farming: minimizing climate impact, optimizing productivity, and maximizing profitability in the subtropical agroecological landscape of India
This study builds upon existing knowledge to quantify the extent of on-farm yield gaps and identify the most effective climate-resilient strategies (CRSs) to bridge them. By addressing these objectives, the study seeks to enhance wheat yield and resilience in the adverse climatic conditions. Productivity and adoption of CRSs are key indicators to monitor the progress toward more resilient production systems. Total eight project hubs were identified across Bihar (Banka, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Khagaria, Madhubani, Munger, Nalanda, and Nawada) for farmers-field experiment-cum-demonstration during rabi season (2019–2020). Three climate-resilient technologies (i) zero tillage (ZT), (ii) raised bed (RB), and (iii) happy seeder (HS) were evaluated across varying planting times from November 13 to December 31. Field experiments-cum-demonstrations conducted across 566 hectares involving 980 farmers in eight districts of Bihar revealed that early wheat planting (13–30 November) significantly enhanced grain productivity (up to 4.96 t/ha) and profitability (net returns up to $863/ha, B:C ratio 1.92), while delayed sowing (post–mid-December) led to yield reductions of up to 57%. Among crop establishment methods, happy seeder (HS) and zero tillage (ZT) consistently outperformed conventional farmer-managed practices, achieving 12.6–14.5% higher net returns and benefit-cost ratios up to 2.02, underscoring the agronomic and economic advantages of timely planting and resource-conserving technologies. The study concludes that sowing wheat in the second week of November using the Happy Seeder (HS) significantly boosts productivity and profitability. These results offer robust evidence to refine regional planting advisories and promote climate-resilient practices for enhancing wheat adaptation across subtropical India.
Authors
- Ritu Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1336-8210)
- Manoj Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4192-6497)
- Anmol Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4691-2086)
- S. K. Mandal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8878-4732)
- Brijendu Kumar
- Bipul Mandal
- Kumari Sharda
- Anita Kumari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8011-2157)
- Tej Pratap (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0835-3639)
- Avinash Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5660-0337)
- Illathur R. Reddy
- Rajeev K. Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3418-6600)
- Asheesh Chaurasiya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2735-6133)
- Kirti Kumari
- Sourav Chaudhary (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9590-4761)
- Shubham Anil Durgude
- Pankaj Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3476-0548)
- Swati Sagar
- Devesh Kumar
- R. K. Sohane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3522-0703)
- Shailja Kumari
- R. Chaubey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1912-6677)
- Rupashree Senapati
- Anjani Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8920-6598)
- Manish Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3247-8589)
- Ashutosh Yadav (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3410-2462)
- Raj Kumar Jat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5641-6564)
- Krishna Bahadur Chhetri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2061-060X)
- Vinod Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6142-1026)
- Sudip Sarkar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4639-4303)
- Muneshwar Prasad
- Deepti Tripathi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2587-7496)
- Jogendra Soren
- Abhay Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9809-7087)
- Anil Kumar Jha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0582-0019)
- Raghubar Sahu
- Tarun Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4512-4480)
- Umesh Narayan Umesh
- Mukesh Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2570-1535)
- Rajesh Kumar
- Priyanka Kumari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1065-8223)
- Sanjay Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9692-6008)
- Sonu Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6203-6996)
- Vikash Kumar
- Rakesh Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5862-8242)
- R.K. Jha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8931-4744)
- Prabhat Kumar Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4496-7251)
- Ved Prakash (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-9424)
- Ujjwal Kumar
- Vijay Singh Meena (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5402-1339)
- Anirban Mukherjee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3499-2701)
- Ashok Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5777-8415)
- Devendra Mandal
- Jitendra Kumar
- Ranjan Kumar Singh
- Sanjeev Kumar
- Varsha Kumari
- N. K. Singh
- Sunita Kumari Meena
- Suneel Kumar
- S. K. Gangwar
- Bipul Kumar Jha
- Rahul Singh Rajput
- S. Pazhanismy
Institutions
- Veer Kunwar Singh University (IN)
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IN)
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University (IN)
- Bihar Agricultural University (IN)
- Central University of South Bihar (IN)
- Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology (IN)
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ghatkhed Amravati (IN)
- Borlaug Institute for South Asia (IN)
- ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region (IN)
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Karda (IN)
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IN)
- Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (IN)
- Central Agricultural University (IN)
- Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
- Published
- 2025-07-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1564812
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.03
Funders
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research
- Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers