Permanent beds and rice-residue management for rice–wheat systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Summary

Rice–wheat cropping systems are critical for food security and livelihoods in South Asia, particularly in India where 10 million hectares of rice and wheat are grown in sequence, providing 85% of the total cereal production. The sustainability of these systems is now in question, as evidenced by many factors including yield stagnation, soil degradation, declining groundwater levels, severe air pollution from rice stubble burning, and declining terms of trade. This proceedings provides a comprehensive compilation of the experience in permanent raised beds and direct drilling into rice residues in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of South Asia.