<div>Background: Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world. To meet up the increasing food demand there&rsquo;s no alternative to increase the cropping intensity through high yielding and short duration crop varieties. Currently, cropping system of Bangladesh is mostly rice based which is also the staple food. Therefore, farmers which follow rice-rice based cropping patterns are gaining less profit day by day. Contrary, intensive rice culture is depleting soil properties gradually. Thus, to preserve soil health and increase profit pulse and oil seed based cropping patterns are crucial for sustaining a cropping pattern. This study was undertaken to find out a cropping pattern with higher yield and profit in the context of Magura district. 
 
Methods: Five cropping patterns, CP1 = Transplanted Aman rice (cv. Binadhan-7)- Mustard (cv. Binasarisha-9)- Boro rice (cv. Binadhan-14); CP2 = T.Aman (cv. Binadhan-16)-Mustard (cv. Binasarisha-10)- Boro (cv. Binadhan-14); CP3 = T.Aman (cv. Binadhan-17) -Mustard (cv. Binasarisha-10)- Boro (cv. Binadhan-14); CP4 = T.Aman (cv. Binadhan-17)-&nbsp;Lentil (cv. Binamasur-8)- Sesame (cv. Binatil-3) and &nbsp;CP5 (Control) -&nbsp;Aman (cv. Shorna) &ndash; Boro (cv. Heera) - fallow were assessed to identify the most suitable and profitable pattern as well as to enhance the cropping intensity by adding a pulse or oil seed crop between two rice crops. The investigation was conducted at farmer&rsquo;s field of Magura during 2018-19. Block farming method was followed for experiment set up.&nbsp; 
 
Result: It was revealed that, maximum rice equivalent yield (REY) was obtained from CP1 (14.46 t/ha) followed by CP4 (13.52 t/ha), CP3 (13.35 t/ha), CP2 (13.09 t/ha) and CP5 (11.33 t/ha) during one year crop cycle. Highest gross margin (Tk. 1,90,189) and MBCR (1.83) was obtained from the cropping pattern CP4 and the lowest gross margin (Tk. 69,271) and MBCR (1.24) was found with the pattern CP5. Based on the above results it can be suggested that, Aman rice-Lentil-Sesame pattern i.e. CP4 may be a best choice for the farmers of Magura region for the maximum utilization of their land and gaining more profit compared to the other studied cropping patterns.</div>

<div>Yield and Profitability Analysis of Pulse and Oil Seed Based Cropping Patterns against Aman- Boro- Fallow Cropping Systems in Magura</div>

<div>There have not been sufficient studies on Sen cropping patterns, a system of planting several food crops in one planting hole. A study to examine the effectiveness of minimum tillage on the Sen cropping pattern, concerning the soil quality improvements and their effects on crop productivity, was conducted on a field plot. The tillage treatment consisted of minimum planting with planting hole sizes of 20x20x20 cm, 30x30x20 cm and 40x40x20 cm, including one control planting hole. A total of 36 planting holes were tested. Improvement of soil physical-chemical properties was measured by comparing the measurements results at initial soil conditions and at 14 days after planting. The results showed that the 20x20x20 cm hole treatment was able to improve the physical-chemical quality of the soil with the best value compared to other treatments. The optimum improvement of soil quality to increase plant productivity was achieved at 40x40x20 cm hole treatment.</div>

Improvement of Soil Quality through Minimum Tillage for Sen Cropping Pattern in Indonesia

Background: Bundelkhand region of India consist of 14 districts, evenly divided between southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh states representing 2.42% of India&rsquo;s total geographical area with a high percentage of barren and uncultivable land. The region is highly vulnerable and susceptible to climatic hazards. Wheat, chickpea sorghum, paddy, maize, barley, lentils, sesame, mustard, groundnut, soybean, peas and beans are the major crops grown in the region. In the context of climate change, noticeable shifts in cropping patterns have been observed. This study aims to analyse these patterns and assess the extent of change over time. 
 
Methods: The dynamics of cropping patterns in the Bundelkhand region of India were analysed using secondary data collected from published reports of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Government of India from a period to 2002-03 to 2021-22 (i.e. 20 years). The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) was employed to capture long-term growth trends. Furthermore, seasonal temporal changes in the cropping pattern of the region were captured by a Transition Probability Matrix (TPM). 
 
Result: Results of the analysis indicated a significant change in the cropping pattern over the period, with kharif crops experiencing a strong growth at CAGR of 5.54%, rabi crops at CAGR 2.02% and substantial growth in pulse area at CAGR of 1.96%. Significant temporal shifts in cropping patterns during the kharif season were observed in the Bundelkhand region. Among the kharif crops, urdbean crop registered highest and significant CAGR of 10.90%. Similarly, area expansion under mungbean, pigeon pea, paddy, sesame, groundnut and soybean registered substantial area expansion, while the area under maize remained almost stagnant at 38 thousand ha over the period of time. Traditionally grown coarse cereals such as sorghum and small millets have witnessed a drastic reduction in area coverage in the region. The TPM analysis revealed the higher probability of area retention among cereal crops (wheat (0.89) and paddy (0.54) and pulse crops (urdbean (0.67), lentil (0.71), mungbean (0.55), chickpea (0.87) and field pea (0.70), while millets had a higher probability of losing their area. The government needs to promote climate-suitable crops to reduce water scarcity and related risks, which can ultimately lead to India&rsquo;s self-sufficiency in pulses in Bundelkhand region.

Transition in Cropping Patterns: Evidence from Bundelkhand Region of India

<div>Background:&nbsp;Conventional monoculture or cereal-cereal sequence systems insist farmers to use excessive application of chemical fertilizer in agriculture resulting reduce the soil organic matter contents and structures. The inclusion of green manuring crops in a rotation is vital to improve the biochemical and physical properties of the soil via increasing the labile of organic matter and ultimately increased crops yield. Some complex molecules of green manuring crops takes a longer time of decomposition and thus nutrients reserve in soil and release latter which provide nutrients to the succeeding and following crops. So the current experiment aimed to study the residual effect of different in situ green manuring crops to the sub-sequent and following soil. 
 
Methods: The field experiment conducted during 2015 to 2016 with eight green manuring crops and rice and mustard was the subsequent and following crop. In situ incorporation of GM crops with 100% (F1) and 50% (F2) fertilizer, the prior and post-harvest soil (cropping pattern) of experiment field (0-15 cm) was collected and analyzed. 
 
Result: After two consecutive year, GM-T.aman-Mustard cropping pattern increased soil organic matter 0.04% to 0.07% and 0.02% to 0.03% (T1 and T2 with F1 and F2) and nitogen 0.05% (T1, T2 and T7 with F1 and F2) and K 0.2 to 0.5 meq/100 g (M. pudica with F1 and F2) and P 2 ppm to 15 ppm (T1, T2, T3 and T7 with F1 and F2) compared to initial soil. Rice yield with T1, T2, T3 and T6 shown higher with both fertilizer doses. Nitrogen fertilizer rates could be reduced after the incorporation of green manures in the succeeding and following crops.</div>

Residual Effect of Green Manure on Soil Properties in Green Manure-Transplant Aman-Mustard Cropping Pattern

<div>Background: Freshwater in sufficient quantity and adequate quality is a prerequisite for human societies and natural ecosystems. To adequately feed 9.3 billion people in 2050, consumptive water use (i.e. transpired water) by all food and fodder crops needs to increase from its present estimated level of 7000 km3/year to 12,586 km3/year. However, fresh water resources are increasingly getting scarce because of increased competition among a multitude of users. Getting agriculture to perform with progressively smaller allocation of renewable water resources will remain a challenge on global scale. To meet the challenge there is an urgent need to improve the crop water productivity to ensure the sustainability of agriculture. 
 
Methods: An experiment was carried out at village Menawali, Hanumangarh, Rajasthan during both kharif and rabi seasons to assess productivity, economics, N-uptake and water use of different crops. An area of 187 ha comprising 25 farmers irrigated by common irrigation channels were selected to collect the information. The information required i.e. soil, crop management, growth, phonological, yields, water balance, N-uptake and water use efficiency of each crops were collected from 15 farmers. Bt-cotton and clusterbean of kharif and wheat and Indian mustard in rabi were prominent crops, cotton-wheat, cotton-mustard, clusterbean-wheat and clusterbean-mustard were major cropping sequences of the study region. 
 
Result: In kharif season, Bt-cotton gave higher economic yields than clusterbean and amongst rabi season crops, economic yields of wheat and mustard were 4255, 1778 kg/ha, respectively. The economic yield of cropping sequences varied from 3741-6514 kg/ha and were higher for cotton-wheat (6218 kg/ha), intermediate for clusterbean-wheat (5785 kg/ha) and lower for cotton-mustard (3741 kg/ha) and clusterbean-mustard (3308 kg/ha). The cotton-wheat (₹1181.2 mm) sequence had highest water use. Clusterbean-wheat cropping system recorded highest water productivity (16.5 kg/ha mm) followed by clusterbean-mustard (14.9 kg/ha mm). The clusterbean-mustard (₹456/ha mm) cropping sequence was most profitable and fetched highest net return followed by clusterbean-wheat (₹383/ha mm).</div>

Assessing Crop and Water Productivity Performance of Different Crops and Cropping Systems

Background: A two-year field study was conducted at the ICRISAT research farm during the rainy seasons of 2021 and 2022 to investigate the impact of crop geometry, crop establishment method and sustainable nutrient management practices on nutrient availability pattern and growth of hybrid pigeon pea. 
 
Methods: The experiment followed a split-split plot design. The collected data was analysed using radar graph and heat maps for nutrient availability and dry matter respectively. 
 
Result: Data revealing that transplanted plots registered higher nutrient availability and proportionate root and total dry matter production at various growth stages. Among plant geometry the root and total dry matter production was higher with 100&times;100 cm. when considering planting methods, transplanting with a square system of 100&times;100 cm, combined with an integrated nutrient management approach consisting of 150% (or) 100% soil test based NPK, vermicompost at a rate of 5 t ha-1, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and seed treatment with Rhizobium, resulted in average of 31.5% higher dry matter production over alone inorganic nutrient management practices. Thus, a square geometry of 100&times;100 cm, along with sustainable integrated nutrient management (100% soil test based NPK, vermicompost at a rate of 5 t ha-1, PSB and seed treatment with Rhizobium), resulted in higher nutrient availability and dry matter production. These findings highlight the importance of careful selection of planting methods, crop geometry and nutrient management practices for maximizing the nutrient mining for production of high dry matter production of hybrid pigeonpea.

Bio-inoculated Nutrient Management Influence on Soil Nutrient Availability Pattern and Growth of Hybrid Pigeonpea (ICPH 2740) under Establishment Methods and Crop Geometry

Background: Understanding the complex relationship between soil characteristics and crop production is crucial for sustainable agriculture practices. Soil physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM) and nutrient content (e.g., NPK) significantly influence crop yield. Additionally, the application of straw mulch can impact soil moisture retention, there by affecting crop growth and productivity. Intercropping system offers potential advantages in terms of water use efficiency (WUE) and productivity compared to monoculture system. 
 
Methods: The experiment was conducted using a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications. The study included six treatments with different cropping system: T1 = Monoculture soybean(planting size 30&times;10 cm), T2 =&nbsp; Monoculture maize (planting size 45&times;15 cm),T3 = Maize + soybean (2:2) line sown,T4 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + wheat straw (5 tha-1), T5 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + maize straw (5 tha-1), T6 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + mustard straw (5 tha-1). 
 
Result: Water use efficiency (WUE) varied among treatments, with the highest WUE (9.44) observed in application of maize straw mulch 5t ha-1, indicating 42.57% increases compared to monoculture maize and 42.17% increases compared to monoculture soybean cultivation. Similarly, superior grain yield (19.30 q ha-1), pod yield (16.29 q ha-1), intercrop yield (35.59 q ha-1), maximum maize equivalent yield (54.33 q ha-1) when comparing the results with and without straw mulch applied to maize and soybean crops. Maize and soybean intercropping system demonstrated superior land utilization efficiency (LER:1.04 to 1.24) and productivity metrics.

Maximizing Water Use Efficiency (WUE), Land Utilization Efficiency (LUE) and Competitive Indices of Maize and Soybean Crops Through Intercropping Pattern with Straw Mulching

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Crop concentration focuses on the pre-dominance of certain crops over other crops in a specific area under study. On the other hand, crop diversification refers to the various types of crops grown in a specific time period under the study area. If the numbers of different types of crops grown in an area during a specified time period is more, the area will have the higher crop diversification and vice versa. So, crop concentration and crop diversification reveal changing pattern of competition among various crops for getting prominence over other crops. 
Methods: The present study was initiated to have an analysis of present situation regarding the crop concentration and crop diversification in Birbhum district of West Bengal over the years of 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 through interpretation of the data related with the area, production and productivity data of the major crops of the district obtained from the Govt. of India data source. (aps.dac.gov.in/APY/Public&shy;_Report1.apx). In this study, the crop concentration of Birbhum district is delineated with the help of the crop concentration Index of Bhatia (1965) and crop diversification is assessed with the help of the Gibbs and Martin Index of diversification (1962). 
Result: The present study clearly finds out that the crop concentration index of Birbhum district is low as the mean of the Indices is 34.01 with corresponding standard deviation (SD) of 0.2997 and co-efficient of variance (CV) of Indices is as low as 0.0088 over a period of five years from 2012-13 to 2016-17. This study also reveals that in Birbhum district only 2 crops having more than 10 per centage point share in the gross cropped area (GCA) of the district provides the farmers a wide scope of farming various different crops or group of crops. The present study also points out that the district has a fairly diversified pallet of crops as the Mean value of crop diversification indices is 00.64754 with a standard deviation of as negligible as 00.0001 with a minute CV of Indices of 00.00016 for the time period of 5 years i.e. from 2012-13 to 2016-17, having potential for further well planned diversification of the crops.</div>

Crop Concentration and Crop Diversification in Birbhum District of West Bengal: Recent Situations

<div style="text-align: justify;">Improved and efficient irrigation water management through precise estimation of crop water requirement has a vital role to play in ensuring food security. However, the crop water requirement data of field crops are not locally available. In view of this, present investigation was aimed at quantifying the crop water requirement of rabi and kharif season crops grown under paired row planting in different agro climatic conditions of Madhya Pradesh. The crop water requirement was calculated based on the already developed crop coefficient and reference evapotranspiration. Daily weather data of 35 years (1979 to 2013) for twenty districts of Madhya Pradesh was collected to determine the reference evapotranspiration using Aquacrop model. The study revealed that the daily ETo increased continuously from 1st SMW to its maximum values during 21st-22nd SMW, thereafter decreased sharply and remains low from 30th to 34th SMW in all selected districts. The highest value of ETo (11.0 mm day-1) was found in Datia at 21st SMW and lowest in Betul i.e. 2.2 mm day-1 at 32nd SMW. The daily water requirement estimates showed that the water requirement of chickpea, wheat and lentil i.e. 1.73 lpd, 0.70 lpd and 0.49 lpd respectively is highest in Jabalpur. Sugarcane has the highest water requirement 13.56 lpd in Narsinghpur during mid season. &nbsp;In all kharif crops cotton has highest water requirement 6.53 lpd in Harda followed by sesame and groundnut i.e. 2.75 lpd and 2.46 lpd respectively in Datia. These results can be used in efficient management of irrigation water under drip irrigation system in selected district of Madhya Pradesh. &nbsp;</div>

Study on crop water requirement of field crops under different climatic conditions of Madhya Pradesh

<div>Background: Small millets and pulses are world&rsquo;s renowned crops for their nutritional significance. Being an underutilized species; rainfed farmers solely depend on them for their livelihood; which would be enhanced in a planned and efficient cropping system. The current study aimed to the identify suitable inter and sequential crops for rainfed little millet. 
 
Methods: In this study, four cropping patterns with two different row proportions for intercropping [viz., (4:1), (6:1)] were used with little millet as a main crop. The cropping systems include - little millet + pigeonpea [(4:1), (6:1)] followed by a sequential horsegram; little millet + pigeonpea followed by moth bean and little millet + lablab [(4:1), (6:1)] followed by Horsegram and little millet + lablab followed by mothbean.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Among them; a higher grain equivalent yield was observed in little millet + pigeonpea (6:1); followed by horsegram. However, higher dry matter, grain weight and higher individual crop yield was obtained in little millet + pigeonpea (6:1) followed by mothbean. Although individual mono cropping yields of these crops were higher; the pattern with little millet - pigeonpea (6:1) followed by horsegram could be recommended as a methodology to aid higher economic returns in shorter period.</div>