Agronomic research on cropping systems in India

Cropping systems with differential requirement and contribution in modifying the rhizosphere by different crops provide newer challenge as well as opportunity for management to achieve higher input productivity for water and nutrients. Although, more than 250 double cropping systems are adopted in the country, the major contribution to food basket remains with the few cereal based systems such as rice-wheat, rice-rice, rice-gram, rice-sorghum, maize-wheat, maize-gram, soybean-wheat and sugarcane-wheat due to their extent of cultivation. Agronomic research conducted at on and off farm with these systems brought out a significant change in terms of productivity and profitability besides enhanced input use efficiency. Alternate efficient cropping systems for the existing predominant cropping systems involving replacement and substitution principles developed for 15 agriculturally important agro-climatic regions at both on-station and on-farm have contributed for significant improvement of the regions. Cropping systems, which are ably planned and executed show promise for better efficiency of water, nutrient and weed control. Besides, careful selection of crops in the system, management practices such as tillage, residue management, nutrient, water and weed plays critical role in deciding the overall make up and output of the system. In order to achieve the targeted food production of 450 to 500 mt in 2050, cropping systems research has to play a vital role of enhancing the land use efficiency as per capita availability of agriculture land is decreasing at a fast rate (0.48 ha in 1951 to 0.14 ha in 2001). Cropping systems will continue to form as a major module in farming systems management which are pursued to provide sustainable livelihood for about 90% of land holdings consisting of small, marginal and semi-medium categories of farm house holds.