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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Crop Biology and Sustainability
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1495723
This article is part of the Research Topic Integration of Legume Intercropping into Sustainable Farming Systems for Nitrogen Fixation, Soil Health, and Climate Resilience View all 3 articles

Impact of Seed Rate and Time of Sowing on Rice Fallow Crops and its Sustainable Production System in Machine Harvested Rice Fields

Provisionally accepted
DEVI GEETHIKA J DEVI GEETHIKA J *Subramanian E Subramanian E *Arunachalam P Arunachalam P *Gurusamy A Gurusamy A *Bhakiyathu Saliha B Bhakiyathu Saliha B *Selvarani G Selvarani G *Jothilakshmi K Jothilakshmi K Sathishkumar A Sathishkumar A *
  • Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The primary objective of this study was to identify the optimal seed rate and time of sowing rice fallow crops in machineharvested rice fields. Rice fallow crop cultivation is the most significant low-cost production system in the delta region. The sustainability of the system is uncertain in the context of mechanical harvesting of rice using heavy machinery. The crops selected for the experimental trial were blackgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper.), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and prosomillet (Panicum miliaceum). The field experiment was conducted using a strip plot design. The rice fallow crops were arranged in vertical plots, while various seed rates and times of sowing were arranged in horizontal plots. The results indicated that the sowing time and seed rate significantly influenced the growth and development of rice fallow crops in machineharvested rice fields. Among the blackgram treatments, a 20% increase in the seed rate (36 kg ha -1 ) on the day of rice harvest resulted in greater grain and straw yield. An increased seed rate compensated for the damage caused by mechanical harvesting on the day of harvest when the combine harvester was utilized, which enhanced the yield and sustainability of the rice fallow crops.

    Keywords: Blackgram, machine harvest, rice, Rice fallow, Sowing

    Received: 13 Sep 2024; Accepted: 11 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 GEETHIKA J, E, P, A, B, G, K and A. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    DEVI GEETHIKA J, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Subramanian E, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Arunachalam P, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Gurusamy A, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Bhakiyathu Saliha B, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Selvarani G, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
    Sathishkumar A, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India

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