Evaluation of Different Cropping System in Sri Muktsar Sahib District of Punjab

A field experiment was conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib to find out the suitable cropping system of the district. Twelve different cropping systems were evaluated for their yield and economics. During kharif season three crops namely rice, basmati, cotton were grown including direct seeded rice and basmati. In rabi season three crops namely wheat, barley and rapeseed mustard were grown. Among all cropping system, direct seeded basmati-wheat cropping system gave the higher average rice equivalent yield during the period of study and recorded 137.23 q/ha average rice equivalent yield, followed by basmati-gobhi sarson (133.23 q/ha) as compared to all other cropping system. The lower rice equivalent yield was obtained in desi cotton-barley (98.47 q/ha) and American cotton-wheat (100.47 q/ha) cropping systems. Net return was also higher in direct seeded basmati-wheat and basmati-sarson cropping system whereas lower net return was recorded from Bt cotton-transplanted gobhi sarson and Bt cotton-barley cropping systems. Whereas, B: C ratio was also higher under direct seeded basmatiwheat (1.78: 1), Basmati-barley (1.71: 1) and Basmati-gobhi sarson (1.60: 1) cropping system as compared to other different cropping systems. B: C ratio among direct seeded basmati was higher due to low cost of cultivation and higher value of basmati crop. Direct seeded basmati-wheat performed better among all other cropping systems in sandy loam soil, having less availability of good quality underground irrigated water. Cropping systems with cotton crop in kharif recorded lower rice equivalent yield and net return due to less grain yield obtained with this crop in 2015, as the crop faced very severe attack of incidence of white fly to cotton crop in the area. So, direct seeded basmati based cropping system are resource conservative, highly profitable crop, best suited to the area and fetched more returns.