PRODUCTION POTENTIAL AND ECONOMICS OF BLACK GRAM-BORO RICE-FALLOW CROPPING SYSTEM IN OLD MEGHNA ESTUARINE FLOODPLAIN

Production potential and economics of black gram-boro rice…

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the farmers’ field of Old Meghna Estuarine Floodplain Soils under the Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) 19 at Nikli, Kishoreganj, for two consecutive years 2019-20 and 2020-21 to evaluate the performance of Black gram-Boro rice-Fallow improved cropping pattern against a farmer’s cropping pattern of Fallow- Boro rice-Fallow. Findings revealed that the mean crop durations of 185-189 days were required for one cycle in a year in an improved cropping pattern which implied that two crops based cropping pattern was agronomically feasible to replace the existing cropping pattern. Total grain yield in terms of rice equivalent yield (REY) of the improved cropping pattern was 9.742 t/ha/year which was 29.38% higher than that of the existing pattern (7.53 t/ha/year). The mean production efficiency of the improved cropping pattern (52.09 kg/ha/day) was 39% less than that of the existing pattern due to more time involved in the improved pattern and land-use efficiency of the improved cropping pattern (51.23%) which was 80% higher than that of existing cropping pattern due to less time involvement in existing cropping pattern. The gross return and gross margin were higher in the improved cropping pattern compared to the existing cropping pattern due to an additional yield of black gram and boro rice. Therefore, farmers in the Old Meghna Estuarine Floodplain region of Bangladesh could follow an alternate cropping pattern where lands remain fallow for 81-86 days after the floodwater receded for higher crop productivity and profitability.