Transforming Triple Cropping System to Four Crops Pattern: An Approach of Enhancing System Productivity through Intensifying Land Use System in Bangladesh

Abstract

Changing three crops pattern to four crops can play a potential role for achieving countries food security. With this view to increase crop productivity, production efficiency, land use efficiency, and economic return through intensifying cropping intensity as well as crop diversity by transforming three crops pattern to four crops, the experiment was conducted in High Ganges River Floodplain Soils under the Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) 11 at Pali, Durgapur, under the Multilocation Testing Site, Puthia, Rajshahi, for two consecutive years 2014-15 and 2015-16. Four crops pattern mustard-onion/maize-T. Aman rice was tested at on-farm condition over the existing three crops pattern mustard-onion-T. Aman rice. Maize was introduced here as a relay crop with onion to fit it in the four crops pattern. e experiment was laid out in RCB design with six dispersed replications. Two-year crop cycles were completed, and data regarding component crops yield were considered for assessing the performance of the two cropping patterns for making a sense of comparing productivity. Although there was no significant difference in component crops yield between four crops and three crops pattern, as an additional crop, maize tremendously increased the system productivity and economic return of the four crops pattern. Higher rice equivalent yield 28.96 t·ha −1 in 2013-14 and 30.95 t·ha −1 in 2014-15 was recorded from the four crops pattern with a mean rice equivalent yield (REY) 29.95 t·ha −1 over the existing pattern with a mean value 21.76 t·ha −1 . However, four crops pattern resulted in higher cultivation cost due to growing maize as an additional crop; nevertheless, it gave the higher gross return, marginal return, marginal benefit cost ratio, and production efficiency. e four crops pattern resulted averagely 37.63% higher production (REY) compared to the existing three crops pattern. Production as well as land use efficiency were increased by 9.33% and 19.18%, respectively, from the intensified alternate pattern.

Crop Diversification in Rice—Based Cropping Systems Improves the System Productivity, Profitability and Sustainability

“…Cropping system intensification from double (rice-rice or rice-wheat) to triple cropping system (Wheat-Mungbean-T. Aman) increased the system REY by 10-75% in the High Ganges River Floodplain and Madhupur tract of Bangladesh [5,32,33]; three times more in the active Brahmaputra-Jamuna Floodplain Chars of Bangladesh [34], but 42% more wheat equivalent yield (WEY) in India [35], as well 82% higher system REY when compared to double to four crop-based systems [36]. In other, reported that cropping system intensification from three to four crop-based system increased system REY by 38-44% across the different agroecological zones of Bangladesh [37][38][39], similar to our study, whereas it was lower by 26% [40] and much higher (81%) as reported by Islam et al [41] compared to our study. In the recent, Saha et al [42] reported cropping system intensification increased 211 to 360% more REY by two to four crop based cropping system in the salt-affected coastal zones of Bangladesh.…”

Generation Change of Cropping Intensity in Bangladesh: A Systematic Review

“…As per the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS, 2020), around 4125 thousand hectare and 1867 thousand hectare of land remain under double and triple-cropped areas respectively, which means that 50.77% and 20.98% of the net cropped area in Bangladesh has avenues partly or a greater part to be brought under quadruple cropping system. The area of cropland is declining, that's why there is no alternate option of horizontal extension but intensifying land use system through by growing more crops or multiple cropping on the same piece of land in a calendar year [17]. However, agriculture is heading towards a new example to address the country's food security a concerned issue of Bangladesh [18].…”

Modification of Nutrient Requirements for a Four Crop-Based Cropping System to Increase System Productivity, Maintain Soil Fertility, and Achieve Sustainable Intensification

“…This newly adopted cropping system may increase farm income while creating job opportunities, alleviating poverty, and ultimately creating positive changes in the farmers' livelihoods. Reports have shown that the four crop-based cropping systems increased the rice equivalent yield up to 20-46% and the gross margin up to 30-41% over the existing lentil-jute-aman rice and boro-fallow-aman rice systems [4,5]. However, to acquire optimal performances in terms of yield, economic return, and soil health under the four crop-based cropping systems, the optimal fertilizer rate should be determined [6].…”