Economic evaluation of rice (Oryza sativa) based cropping sequences in the foothills of Himalayas

A field experiment was conducted at Crop Research Centre of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, during 1996 97 and 1997 98, to identify the appropriate rice (Oryza sativa L.) based cropping sequences for sustainable productivity and profitability under foothills of Himalayas. Rice as base crop was sequenced in 10 feasible crop sequences, viz. wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori Paol.) rice, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) rice, lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) rice, field pea (Pisum sativum . .) rice, wheat mungbean (Phaseolus radiatus L.) green manure rice, wheat sesbania (Sesbania aculeata Pers.) green manure rice, wheat maize (Zea mays L.) cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] foddet rice (Oryza sativa L.), chickpea maize cowpea fodder rice, lentil maize cowpea fodder rice and field pea maize cowpea fodder rice sequence. The green manuring of sesbania and mungbean in rice wheat system gave an additional rice equivalent yield 1.11 and 0.9 tonneslha over wheat rice, respectively, and showed maximum land use efficiency (90.95%). Further chickpea rice sequence (10.88 tonneslha) showed its superiority to all other sequences having 2 crops. Among 300% cropping intensity, sequence chickpea maize cowpea fodder rice (13.90 tonneslha) proved most efficient in term of rice equivalent yield, production efficiency (38.09 kglha) and mean economic returns (Rs 43,992/ha), while sequence wheat maize. cowpea fodder rice was highest carbohydrate (9.68 tonneslha) and chemical energy (50.51 K cal x 10 Yha) producer among all sequences.