Integrated soil–crop management improves productivity and resource-use efficiency in the rice–mustard–jute agroecosystem

Abstract

Sustainably feeding the growing population by increasing production and profitability in the presence of biotic and abiotic stresses is challenging. The annual income from rice–mustard–jute cultivation is approximately US$700–900/ha/yr, which is substantially lower than the national average annual agricultural household income. The goal of this study was to integrate soil nutrient and crop management practices by linking agro-ecosystem services at temporal (crop rotation) and spatial scales (intercropping) to increase crop yield, farm income and resource use efficiency under the prevailing climatic, agronomic, and economic conditions of a farmer’s field. The inclusion of green gram and pumpkin as intercrops in jute and rice, and lentil as a mixed crop with mustard, generated additional income that recovered approximately 85% of the total cultivation cost, leaving only about 15% to be recovered from the principal crops. The economic yield increased by about 48–58% for the main crops compared with conventional practices. Leguminous crops as intercrops and mixed crops also helped reduce weeds by about 50% and supply nitrogen to subsequent crops. Nitrogen-use efficiency increased by 28–65%, while water-use efficiency increased by 8–65% compared with conventional management. Integrated soil-crop management (ILM) helped optimize the use of chemical fertilizer, manure, water, and labour. Improvements in resource-use efficiency through ILM may contribute to greater economic efficiency through higher productivity, a lower cost per unit of output, and improved sustainability, and may serve as potential adaptation strategies in the face of climate change.