Effect of tillage and residue retention on maize productivity

In Bangladesh, maize is generally sown after extensive tilth and minimum residue retention. Conservation agriculture (CA) systems reduce the input costs, machinery use, CO2 emissions; and improve soil health (Raper et al., 1994). Crop residues are known to affect soil physical properties (Hulugalle et al., 1986), availability of nutrients (Wade and Sanchez, 1983; Asghar et al., 2006) and soil biological activity (Tian et al., 1993). Crop residue retention has been suggested to improve overall soil fertility and to support sustainable crop production. Crop residue retention under no tillage system reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter (SOM), and reduce requirement of labour and fuel under cereal grain and row crop culture (Salinas-Garcia et al., 1997). Kumar and Goh (2000) reported that incorporation of crop residues is essential for sustaining soil productivity through replenishing SOM that not only a key indicator of soil quality, but it also supplies essential nutrients upon mineralization (N, P, and S) and improves soil physical, chemical, and biological properties (Kumar et al., 2001). In our country, the crop residue is used mostly for cattle feed (Saadullah et al., 1991), fuel for stove and some cases burning. It is essential to estimate the amount of crop residue that should be retained in field to get the benefits. Therefore, the present research investigated to find out the minimum tillage with residue retention could be an effective element for maize production

Mulching and weed management effects on performance of non-puddled transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Farmers’ in the tropics and subtropics of Asia traditionally transplant rice seedlings in puddled soil (Singh et al., 2014) for easy crop establishment and weed control. This traditional puddling method is labour and capital intensive and destructive to soil health and economic environment in various ways (Islam et al., 2014). Adoption of non-puddled rice cultivation might be a very good alternative to puddled transplanting but is criticized for high weed pressure. Herbicides can control weeds but are threatened for resistance to weeds. Mulching may be used as an alternative to herbicides. Non-puddled rice transplanting technology based on mulch retention are being developed in Bangladesh but the optimum weed control for crops in the cropping sequence is yet to be developed. This present study was under taken to determine the effectiveness of mulch retention relative to herbicides and hand weeding on weed control and yield of non-puddled rice transplanted after mustard

Weed seed bank dynamics in long term trials of conservation agriculture

Conservation agriculture (CA) has been identified as an effective tool for sustainably increasing the crop yields but weed control is perceived as one of the most challenging issues (Pittelkow et al., 2015). Due to the reduction in tillage operations, weed seed bank composition and dynamics in CA will change compared to conventional tillage. Soil weed seed bank is the reservoir of weed seeds in the soil which determines the species composition. The seed bank is the most important source of weeds and represents a significant point in the weed life cycle and weed population is directly related to their seed bank. Knowledge of the seed bank size and its composition can be used to predict the future weed infestation and control strategies, weed seed production after the cropping season, estimation of crop-weed competition and crop yield loss and the crop economics as well (Begume et al., 2006). There are very few studies examining the effects of CA principles on weed seed bank dynamics. These types of studies are needed to include weed control in cost-benefit analyses concerning the adoption of CA. Considering this fact, long terms CA trials were conducted to examine the effect of CA principles on weed seed bank dynamics

On-farm non-puddled rice yield response to crop residue retention

In Asia, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is established generally by seedling transplanting in puddled soil. Generally, lands are prepared by 3-4 ploughing and cross ploughing operations followed by levelling in standing water. This traditional method is costly in terms of labour, fuel, time and irrigation water, and is detrimental to soil health (Islam et al., 2014). Adoption of non-puddled transplanting may be a good alternative to soil puddling which has potential to achieve savings in labour, energy, water and time during rice establishment (Islam et al., 2012). Retaining previous crop residues maintains soil microbial activity which can also lead to weed suppression by the biological agents leading to increases in crop yield (Kennedy, 1999). Considerable research work has been done on puddled transplanting, but there is a limited information on the effect of crop residue retention level on the performance of non-puddled transplanting of rice

Mechanical weed control by Versatile Multi-Crop Planter in strip-planted wheat

Non-control of weeds will reduce wheat grain yield significantly (Sing et al., 2015). In Bangladesh, farmers use 2-6 tillage passes by 2-wheel tractor (2WT) to control pre-plant weeds and prepare the land to sow the seeds. Minimum soil disturbance is one of the key principles of conservation agriculture (CA). However, minimum soil disturbance planting systems could enhance weed infestation (Sing et al., 2015) if pre-plant weeds are not controlled properly. Although the use of herbicide is increasing quite rapidly in Bangladesh (Hossain, 2015), the use of non-selective herbicide (e.g., glyphosate) to control pre-plant weeds is limited due to higher price of glyphosate and non-availability at farmers' level. The Versatile Multi-crop Planter (VMP) (Haque et al., 2011) performs strip planting of various crop seeds and application of fertilizer in lines, and covering seeds simultaneously in a single pass operation. To manage pre-plant weeds in the field, the rotary shaft of VMP was redesigned with small blades attached between strips to cut the existing weeds while sowing seeds in the field. To evaluate the performance of the VMP for controlling pre-plant weeds in wheat crops, experiments were conducted at Rajbari, Rajshahi, and Thakurgaon districts of Bangladesh during 2015-16

Yield improvement of non-puddled transplanted Aman rice as influenced by effective weed control under conservation agricultural systems

Traditional puddled transplanting (PT) can successfully be replaced by strip-tilled non-puddled transplanting (STNT) because it saves energy, fuel, labour and cost of cultivation (Haque et al., 2016; Islam et al., 2012). Moreover, STNT provides better rice yield than the conventional PT (Haque et al., 2016). But heavy weed infestation can cause a significant yield loss in STNT (Zahan et al., 2014). While conservation agriculture (CA) systems highly relies on herbicide for controlling weeds (Muoni et al., 2014), this study was undertaken to find out the effective herbicidal weed control for strip-tilled non-puddled transplanted aman rice that can ensure the optimum grain yield

Effects of inundation period and tillage option on field performance of self-propelled rice transplanter

Mechanized transplanting of rice could decrease costs and use of labor in the peak of transplanting periods. Self-propelled rice transplanter requires an ideal field condition as well as optimal inundation of non-puddled soil before transplanting. Hence, self-propelled rice transplanters (four rows walking type, model DP480 except clay loam soil during the Boro season in 2013-2014 where six rows riding type rice transplanter, model S3-680) was evaluated in clay loam, loam and sandy loam soil during the irrigated dry season (Boro) in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. Tillage treatments in a strip plot design were stripped, zero and conventional tillage and irrigation treatments as inundation periods before transplanting as sub-plots were 12, 18 and 24 hours (hrs). Soil penetration resistance decreased with the increased of inundation period in both the seasons and three soil types. Field capacity of both the walking (0.11 to 0.14 ha hr-1) and the riding type rice transplanter (0.21 to 0.22 ha hr-1) had not varied significantly with the tillage options. Averaged of two seasons, strip tillage gave higher field capacity for 12 hrs inundation period in clay loam soil and 18 hrs inundation period in loam and sandy loam soil whereas zero and conventional tillage gave higher for 24, 18 and 24 hrs inundation period and 18, 12 and 18 hrs inundation period in clay loam, loam and sandy loam soil, respectively. The non-puddled strip and zero tillage reduced fuel consumption by 22% to 13% and 8% to 13% for transplanting in clay loam and sandy loam soil compared to conventional tillage, respectively. However, strip tillage reduced the percentage of missing hills (9.7%) compared to zero (13.0%) and conventional tillage (10.7%) while percentage of missing hills, averaged of two seasons and three soil types, decreased 13.7% to 9.2% with the increased of inundation periods 12 to 24 hrs. The highest percentage of picker missing hills was observed in zero tillage irrespective of seasons and soil types. However, zero tillage also gave higher percentage of damage hills compared to conventional and strip tillage. Floating hills decreased with the increased of inundation periods in non-puddled strip and zero tillage. Conventional tillage increased the buried hills significantly in both the seasons. Strip tillage gave higher grain yield compared to zero and conventional tillage in both the seasons except clay loam soil during the Boro season in 2012-13 where zero tillage gave a higher grain yield. However, 18 hrs inundation periods for strip (6.1 t ha-1), 24 hrs for zero (6.0 t ha-1) and conventional (5.9 t ha-1) tillage gave the highest grain yields. Finally, it can be stated that non-puddled minimum tillage (strip and zero) is a resource saving technique while 18 hrs inundation prior to transplant for strip and 24 hrs inundation for zero tillage showed more benefited for rice production

On-farm performance of non-puddled Boro and Aman season rice

Continuation of soil puddling for rice transplanting will negate the benefits of minimum soil disturbance practiced in other crops in the rotation (e.g. see Singh et al. (2011) for rice–wheat system). Generally, the methodology of non-puddled transplanting of rice seedlings is the same as for puddled transplanting except for the absence of soil puddling (Haque et al., 2016). Several hundreds of farmers have adopted non-puddled rice cultivation methods where the technologies were demonstrated earlier in Bangladesh. However, the acceptance and profitability of the technology when managed by farmers was not well understood. The aim of the present study was to understand acceptance and profitability of farmers managed non-puddled transplanted rice

Comparative levels of soil disturbance under reduced and minimum tillage types with two-wheel tractor planting operations

Minimum soil disturbance is one of the key principles of conservation agriculture (CA). However, little is known about levels of soil disturbance caused by 2-wheel tractor (2WT) -based planters being used in small farms to practice CA (Haque et. al., 2013). Several types of single pass minimum soil disturbance are being used to establish crops in Bangladesh. To quantify the impact of various tillage types on soil disturbance, breakage of soil aggregates, and operational cost, a study was carried out during 2015 at two long-term CA sites at Godagari upazila, Rajshahi; and Baliakandi upazila, Rajbari. The aim was to determine which forms of planting involve minimum soil disturbance according to the requirements of CA

Transplanting rice seedling in dry strip-tilled soil: A strategy to minimize soil disturbance during non-puddled transplanting

Continuation of soil puddling for rice transplanting will negate the benefits of conservation agriculture (CA) particularly minimum soil disturbing in other crops in the rotation as is reported for the rice–wheat system (Singh et al., 2011). Although, development of non-puddled transplanting of rice with minimum soil disturbance methods has created the opportunity to adopt CA in rice-based cropping systems (Haque et. al., 2016), critics suggest that during transplanting of rice seedling, significant soil disturbance has occurred in non-puddled field due to foot-steps or wheel traffic of the transplanter. To minimize the soil disturbance during transplanting rice seedling in non-puddled condition, two experiments were conducted at Durgapur and Godagari upazila of Rajshahi, Bangladesh during the boro rice season of 2016