RICE-WHEAT CROPPING
SYSTEM, ITS PREVALENCE
AND ITS CONTRIBUTION
TO THE INDIAN ECONOMY
Avick Kumar Kundu
Department of Agronomy (School of Agriculture),
Lovely Professional University
AGR 529: Agronomy of Major Cereals and Pulses
Dr Rubina Gill

INTRODUCTION
•Rice wheat is the dominant double cropping
system in south Asian countries.
•This system is prevalent in Indo-Gangetic
plains (IGP) and is predominant in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West
Bengal, Madhya Pradesh etc.
•It is pivotal in the country’s food self
sufficiency
•This system is the backbone of Indian
farming.
•Mounting pressure on natural resources has
brought fatigue to this system in recent years
•But continuous adoption of the Rice
wheat cropping system in northwest
India has resulted in major challenges
and stagnation.
•It has brought forth several implications
threatening its sustainability

MAJOR
RICE
AND
WHEAT
PRODUCING
STATES
OF
INDIA

IMPORTANCE AND KEY FEATURES OF RWCS IN
INDIA
• Rice crop needs waterlogged or stagnant
water conditions whereas wheat crop is
having requirement of well-pulverizes soil
balanced with moisture, air and thermal
regime. Because of this, a main key feature
of the rice-wheat cropping system is the
annual conservation of soil from aerobic to
anaerobic and then back to aerobic
conditions.
• In the last few decades, high growth rates
for food grain production (wheat 3.0% and
rice 2.3%) in India have kept pace with
population growth. Rice productivity
increased from ~1,000 kg ha−1 in 1960 to
3,420kgha−1 in 2018–19 in Haryana and
4,370 kg ha−1 in Punjab. Similarly, wheat
productivity increased from 1,200 kg ha−1
in 1960–61 to 4,850 kg ha−1 in 2018–19 in
Haryana and 5,080 kg ha−1 in Punjab..
• Green fodder is easily available in rice-wheat
cropping system and this in turns helps to
support large livestock population.

FACTORS AFFECTING YIELDS OF RICE – WHEAT
CROPPING SYSTEM
 Delayed planting of wheat and transplanting of Rice
 Energy, labour and other input shortage
 Resistance of the weed Phalaris minor to isoproturon; and crop residue
burning have contributed to the stagnating or declining production,
productivity and sustainability of this system.
 Continuous cropping of rice-wheat system for decades as well as
contrasting edaphic needs of these two crops have resulted in increased
pest pressure, nutrient mining.
 In many areas, yields have stagnated at below potential level
 The input use efficiency is low
 Soil organic matter content has reduced.

PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY THE RWCS IN
INDIA
 Soil Health Depletion: The RW system has not only resulted in the mining of major
nutrients (N, P, K, and S) from the soil but also has created a nutrient imbalance, leading
to deterioration in soil quality. Deficiencies of N, P, and K are most extensive.
 Disposal of crop Residues: Haryana and Punjab together produce 28.1mt of paddy
straw (2018 estimates) out of which 40% (11.3mt) is burnt in the fields, and 60% is
managed through soil incorporation and other measures. Particulate air pollution from
crop residue burning affects the local population and downwind communities.
 Herbicide resistance: The continuous use of a single herbicide in rice for the control of
Echinochloa spp. resulted in the emergence of new hardy weeds like Cynodon dactylon,
Cyperus rotundus, Cyperus iria, Cyperus difformis. Due to the monocropping of the
RWCS, the infestation of Phalaris minor Retz. has increased in wheat, as paddy
cultivation provides favorable conditions for the germination of P. minor.
 Depletion of the Groundwater: The continuous adoption of the RWCS resulted in a
decline in the water table, which ultimately affected crop, land, and water productivity.
The Haryana and Punjab states in northwest parts of India are producing rice at the cost
of their natural resources, which have been dwindling very fast. The conventional system
of rice cultivation is a high-water demanding system.
 Economics: Rice is a labour-intensive crop, and both Punjab and Haryana are largely
dependent on migrant labour for their cultivation. From 2005–06 to 2018–19, both
states’ labour costs had increased exponentially from USD 1.27 to 3.78 per day in
Haryana, and USD 1.35 to 3.22 per day in Punjab, respectively

CONCLUSION
 There is a need to shift from the conventional RWCS to conservation agriculture
and adopt the need-based practices for the sustainable production of crops.
 More emphasis should be given to developing high-yielding and short-duration
rice varieties, which can help in reducing evapotranspiration loss and produce
less residue load at harvest.
 The inclusion of short-duration legumes, like mung bean, can greatly help in
increasing the cropping system rice equivalent yield. Less water-demanding
crops, such as maize, in place of rice also need to be explored for sustainable
agriculture production.
 Automation of irrigation methods can help in addressing the emerging
challenges of the inefficiency of water use in agriculture. Scaling of sustainable
intensification technologies (DDSR and zero-till wheat) by strategically
leveraging suitable varieties, creating more awareness of improved
management practices by strengthening the existing extension system, and
attracting policy support are needed to achieve an enhanced farm income and
sustainability in northwest India.

THANK YOU