Effect of rice establishment methods and nutrient management practices on subsequent wheat crop grown under different establishment methods and nutrient management practices at Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of land management practices and residual effect of nutrient management practices of rice on the performance of subsequent wheat crop in the rice-wheat cropping system in Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal during June 2018-March 2019. The experiment was executed in a split-plot, included two establishment methods viz. (i) conventional tilled dry direct-seeded rice followed by (fb) zero tillage wheat (CT-DDSR fb ZT) (ii) puddled transplanted rice followed by conventional tillage wheat (Pu-TPR fb CT) as main plot treatments, and four nutrient management practices: (i) 100% recommended dose (100% RDF; 150:45:45 and 80:60:40 kg N, P2O5, and K2O ha-1 respectively for rice and wheat), (ii) Residue retention @ 5 t ha-1 of wheat on rice fb residue of rice on wheat + 75% RDF of each crop (RR +75%RDF), (iii) Nutrient expert (NE) dose (140:56:53; 140:60:45 kg N, P2O5, and K2O ha-1 for rice and wheat respectively), (iv) Brown/green manuring of Sesbania in rice fb rice residue @ 3.5 t ha-1 in wheat +75% RDF of each crop (BM/GM fb R+75% RDF) as subplot treatments with three replications. The variety of wheat ‘Bijay’ was sown @120 kg ha-1 with spacing 20 cm × continuous. The data on phenology, yield, yield attributes, and economics were recorded and analyzed by R studio. The study revealed that none of the yield attributes and yield of wheat were significantly influenced by the establishment methods. Significantly more effective tillers (281.94 m-2) and grains per spike (44.48) and higher straw yield (5.95 t ha-1) were recorded under NE dose. The grain yield of wheat was 21% and 16% more under NE dose and BM/GM fb R+75% RDF respectively compared to 100% RDF. CT-DDSR fb ZT wheat had slightly less net returns (NRs. 4523 ha-1) than Pu-TPR fb CT-wheat. NE dose was the most profitable. Hence, rice establishment methods were indifferent but NE dose was the best nutrient management practice for better production and profitability for the wheat in the rice-wheat system.