Impact of Cropping System and Planting Techniques On Soil Properties and Wheat Productivity Under Rainfed Condition

Mung bean-Wheat cropping system and zero tillage planting techniques had differentially affected soil properties and wheat productivity under arid and semiarid conditions. The investigation was conducted over a continuous duration of two years (2019–20 and 2020–21) at Cereal Crops Research Institute (CCRI), Pirsabak to evaluate the impact of diverse tillage methods on physicochemical properties of soil and yield of wheat yield cultivated in a mung-wheat crop rotation system. Two cropping systems (viz. mung bean-wheat and fallow-wheat) and three tillage practices (viz. zero tillage, wide beds and conventional tillage) were used in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were applied at the recommended doses of 120, 90, 60 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, in all tillage treatments. Results showed that mung-wheat cropping system was more productive than fallow-wheat, with higher organic matter (0.87%), soil organic carbon (6.60 g kg⁻¹), total N (0.41 mg kg⁻¹) and microbial biomass carbon (191.44 mg kg⁻¹). Zero tillage was the most productive planting method, resulting in the highest count of of productive tillers (285 m⁻²), thousand grain weight of 41.2 g and grain yield of 3157 kg ha⁻¹. Moreover, zero tillage in mung-wheat cropping system was also the most profitable, with a benefit cost ratio of 2.49. We concluded from our study that zero tillage in mung-wheat cropping system is recommended in rainfed agro ecological conditions and is suitable for low-income farmers.