Relative efficiency of different cropping sequences in a farmers participatory research programme in semi-arid agro-ecosystem of Rajasthan

A farmers’ participatory field experiment with seven crop sequences was conducted during 2002–07 in Tonk district of Rajasthan. The groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) - wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol.] and greengram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] - wheat crop sequences were found more productive and energy efficient than sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] - chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and pearlmillet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. Emend Stuntz] -chickpea cropping sequences. Groundnut-wheat (10.41 t/ha) crop sequence registered the 8.89, 16.90, 27.5 and 35.37 per cent higher Pearlmillet equivalent (PEs) than the greengram-wheat, greengram-barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), groundnut-mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czernj & Cosson] and pearlmillet-wheat crop sequences, respectively. However, the maximum sustainable yield index (SYI) was recorded with pearlmillet-wheat (0.91), followed by groundnut-wheat (0.88) and green gram-barley (0.79) crop sequence. Highest land-use efficiency (LUE) was obtained in groundnut-wheat system (72.05%) followed by pearlmillet-wheat system (69.42%) and both were statistically at par, whereas the lowest LUE was recorded in greengram-barley (55.89%) cropping system. As regards production efficiency (PE) greengram-wheat greengram-barley and groundnut-wheat crop sequences were at par. Groundnut-wheat crop sequences registered significantly higher energy output over all other cropping sequences. The energy produced by groundnut-wheat was 13.06, 15.31 and 19.19 per cent higher than pearlmillet-wheat, greengram-barley and greengram-wheat cropping sequences respectively. Sorghum-chickpea crop sequence was significantly more energy intensive than other cropping sequences. Groundnut-wheat and greengram-wheat were at par and recorded net returns of 37,806 and 33,104/ha, B:C ratio of 2.22 and 2.07 and economic efficiency of 143.5 and 153.4/ha/day, respectively. Sorghum-chickpea cropping system registered the lowest net returns (2143/ha), B:C ratio (1.12) and economic efficiency (9.6/ha/day). The soil health was not affected much by different cropping sequences but mean soil nutrient balance (NPK) was found positive with all the cropping sequences.