Adaptation and Impact of Zero Tillage Technology for Wheat Cultivation in Eastern Region of Bihar

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the adaptation and impact of zero tiltage technology for wheat cultivation in Eastern region of Bihar. There is an increasing recognition among policy-makers of the largely untapped potential of the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) for meeting state- and national-level food needs in India. Zero-tillage (ZT) technology has been proven for enhancing wheat productivity and, hence, food security in the IGP while reducing production costs – a 'win-win' which support rapid/fast technology scaling even though adoption remains modest to date. ZT technology is well known in the form of CA, that involves continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance, permanent organic soil cover with crop residues or cover crops and diversified, efficient and economically viable crop rotations provide opportunities for saving on inputs, improving resource use efficiency and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and climate change adaptation. Under the Farmers First project, an attempt was made to introduce ZT technology among two adopted villages under Goradih block of Bhagalpur district in Bihar, India. The result has shown that ZT is gaining popularity amongst the farmers in the adopted villages for establishing wheat crop for higher income and sustainability of the farming community. This technology allows rice-wheat farmers for direct drilling of wheat sooner after rice harvest without any preparatory tillage, so that wheat crop heads and fills grain before the onset of pre-monsoon. This involves sowing with a specially-designed zero-till seed-cum-fertilizer drill/planter, which has inverted 'T' type furrow opener to make a narrow slit in the soil for placing seed and fertilizer.  Wheat was sown by zero tillage technology that helped in advancing sowing time, reduced cost of cultivation in terms of land preparation (Rs.3850/ha), saving in labours time (6-7 hrs/ha), fuel (44 ltr/ha), environmental pollution (60%) as well as water-saving (33%).