Agro-Economic Productivity of Different Transplant Aman Rice – Rabi Crop – Dry Direct Seeded Boro Rice Patterns in Old Brahmaputra Floodplain Agroecological Zone of Bangladesh

Abstract

Dry direct seeding is an alternative rice establishment system that saves irrigation water, reduces greenhouse gas emission and increases farm income. An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to study the agroeconomic performance of different transplanted (T.) aman rice - Rabi crops – dry direct seeded (DDS) boro rice patterns. Nine cropping patterns, namely, i. T. aman rice - Mustard - DDS boro rice, ii. T. aman rice - Potato - DDS boro rice, iii. T. aman rice - Field pea - DDS boro rice, iv. T. aman rice - French bean - DDS boro rice, v. T. aman rice - Spinach - DDS boro rice, vi. T. aman rice - Garden pea - DDS boro rice, vii. T. aman rice - Tomato - DDS boro rice, viii. T. aman rice - Broccoli - DDS boro rice and ix. T. aman rice - Cabbage - DDS boro rice was considered in the study using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that the yield and related attributes of the DDS boro rice did not vary significantly in different cropping patterns. The rice equivalent yield (REY) of rabi crops was the highest for cabbage (10.37 t ha-1 ) and the lowest for garden pea (4.24 t ha-1 ). The system yield (SY) was the highest for T. aman rice - Cabbage - DDS boro rice pattern (19.69 t ha-1 ). The second highest SY value was found with T. aman rice - Tomato - DDS boro rice pattern (16.30 t ha-1 ) which was similar with T. aman rice - Potato - DDS boro rice pattern (16.17 t ha-1 ) and T. aman rice - Mustard - DDS boro rice pattern (14.88 t ha-1 ). The benefit cost ratio (BCR) was the highest (1.71) with T. aman rice - Cabbage - DDS boro rice pattern and the lowest (1.46) with T. aman rice - Field pea - DDS boro rice pattern. The result concludes that there would be no yield penalty of dry direct seeded boro rice under different T. aman rice - Rabi crops - DDS boro rice patterns. However, highest crop productivity and economic return could be achieved by using cabbage, tomato, potato and mustard as rabi crop in the T. aman rice – Rabi crops - DDS boro rice pattern.