Identification of Profitable Rice Based Cropping System for South Konkan Coastal Zone

Field experiments were conducted for three consecutive kharif-rabi seasons of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 at Agricultural Research Station, Phondaghat, Dist. Sindhudurg (MS) India. The experiments were conducted with ten rice based cropping systems with an objective to find out most profitable rice based cropping system suitable for South Konkan Coastal Zone. The crops in sequences after kharif rice included one oilseed crop i.e. groundnut, two pulse crops viz. cowpea and wal, one cereal crop i.e. sweet corn; five vegetable crops viz. brinjal, chilli, cabbage, okra, watermelon besides rice followed by fallow during rabi season. Three years pooled data indicated that among different rice based crops cultivated during rabi after kharif rice, brinjal recorded higher fruit yield followed by watermelon, cabbage and sweet corn. Whereas, rice equivalent yield of rabi crops as well as rice equivalent yield of system were higher with brinjal followed by sweet corn, okra and chilli. The system productivity in terms of rice equivalent grain yield (REGY) was maximum in case of rice-brinjal (239.12 q/ha) sequence. During rabi it was found that yield of component crops varied fairly according to cropping system. Whereas, during kharif rice yield was found highest (51.32 q/ha) under rice-groundnut sequence. Maximum monetary efficiency (` 1000/ha/day) was obtained under rice-brinjal sequence followed by rice-sweet corn (` 875.1/ha/day). Rice-brinjal cropping sequences registered highest land use efficiency (76.71%) followed by rice-chilli (75.34%) and rice-okra (72.60%). Water use efficiency was lowest higher with rice-sweet corn (30.94 kg/mm) followed by rice-brinjal (22.11 kg/mm). The increase in available N, P and K status after three year was observed with the inclusion of leguminous crop in the rotation.