Options for Intensification of Cropping System in Coastal Saline Ecosystem: Inclusion of Grain Legumes in Rice-Based Cropping System

Abstract

The coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India is the home to millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Due to a gradual increase in salt accumulation on soils of the coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India from winter to summer days, cultivation of the second crop in the winter season becomes possible in a limited area. To address these issues, field experiments was conducted in rainy and winter seasons of 2016–17 and 2017–18 at the farmer’s field of the coastal saline zone (CSZ) of West Bengal, India. The experiment was carried out to study the system productivity, nutrient uptake, and profitability vis-à-vis salinity dynamics of the crops in rice-pulse-based cropping systems under different land elevations (medium upland and medium lowland). The experiment was conducted in a strip-split plot design having horizontal factors namely, Factor A: Six dates of sowing of rice at an interval of one week (2nd week of June to 3rd week of July), Factor B: Two land situations (medium upland and medium lowland) and Two Cropping Systems (Rice-Lathyrus and Rice-Lentil) as vertical factor, replicated four times. The results suggest that irrespective of land situation, early sown rice (15 June to 21 June) produces higher dry matter and grain yield compared to late sown crops. This early sowing of rice also facilitated the better performance of subsequent lathyrus and lentil, by avoiding the worst situation of the salinity build-up and drought stress later in the winter. Moreover, significantly higher productions were obtained from medium-lowland situations for both the cropping systems. Sowing date has also significantly influenced macro-nutrient uptake (NPK) by rice and pulse grains. It may be concluded that early sowing of rice may be a potential option for intensification of rice-pulse-based cropping systems under CSZ of West Bengal, India.