Impact of leguminous crop residues on rice performance in diverse cropping systems in the alluvial soils of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

In eastern Uttar Pradesh, the traditional rice-wheat cropping sequence has been identified as a factor contributing to unsustainable agricultural practices, resulting in low productivity and returns for small and marginal farmers. Crop diversification presents a viable solution to enhance productivity and ensure food and nutritional security for these farmers. A field experiment conducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Ayodhya, U.P., India, from 2019-20 to 2021-22, evaluated the growth, yield attributes, and production potential of rice under ten rice-based cropping systems under irrigated medium-land conditions. The systems assessed included rice-wheat-fallow, rice-wheat-greengram, rice-frenchbean-greengram, rice-gram-cowpea, rice-mustard-greengram, rice-linseed-blackgram, rice-berseem-sudanchari, rice-oat-maize + cowpea, rice-cauliflower-okra, and rice-potato-cowpea (vegetable). The legume-based systems significantly enhanced plant height, which was attributed to the higher nitrogen availability from the decomposition of legume residues. Legume-based systems showed an increase in the number of leaves per hill and LAI, reflecting improved vegetative growth. Effective tiller production was higher in these systems, which contributed to superior panicle length, grain count, and grain weight. Among these systems, rice-frenchbean-greengram and rice-gram-greengram consistently outperformed the conventional system in terms of yield attributes and the yield of grain and straw. The integration of legume crops into rice-based sequences can improve soil fertility, promote better vegetative growth, and enhance yield, thereby contributing to more sustainable and productive rice cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]