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Nurbekov Aziz Israilovich, Team leader and agronomist, Food and Agriculture Organization Khalikov Bahodir Meylikovich, Uzbek Scientific Production Center for Agriculture Azizov Shukhrat Shodievich, Tashkent State Agrarian University Khudaykulov Jonibek Bozarovich, Tashkent State Agrarian University E-mail: [email protected]
EFFECT OF TILLAGE METHODS ON PRODUCTIVITY OF DOUBLE CROPPED MUNGBEAN IN THE IRRIGATED CONDITIONS OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract. Population growth has led to decrease in crop land per capita and competition for land and water resources is increasing causing increased food insecurity in Uzbekistan. There is an urgent need to pilot changes in agricultural practices in the region in order to increase grain output and productivity (efficiency) in the region. Double cropping or adding a second crop to existing single crop per year systems can address above mentioned challenges. In the irrigated areas of Uzbekistan farmers usually finish harvesting of winter wheat and barley during the period mid-June through mid-July and undertake next planting of these crops during the first fortnight of October. In double-cropping, timing of planting the second crop becomes limited along with pressures of harvesting the mature crop. Conservation Agriculture (CA) system reduces the time constraint while conserving soil moisture that may be present in the soil at the time of harvest of the winter cereal crop, and reducing runoff, soil erosion and soil evaporation; and increasing total grain production per year. Thus, this study compares the performance of mungbean (Vigna radiata) as double crop under different tillage options in the irrigated conditions. This crop is warm season annuals, highly branched and having trifoliate leaves and can fix air nitrogen and can improve soil fertility like the other legumes. The main objective of this experiment is to study effect of different tillage method on productivity of double cropped mungbean in the rainfed conditions of Uzbekistan. The research results shows that there was no significant difference no-till mungbean grain yield between minimum and conventional tillage methods against to year in the irrigated conditions of Uzbekistan.
Keywords: Double cropping, mungbean, conservation agriculture, no-till, grain yield.
Introduction potential for export of many agricultural products including
The latest agricultural policies, in Uzbekistan, aimed at vegetables, fruit and wheat. promotion of crop diversification and environment friend- The area of double cropped crops after winter wheat har-
ly production systems offering high quality products with vest was much more higher in 2017 compared to previous years. better access to the markets. Since 1991 year, Uzbekistan In addition, through conservation agriculture practices such as has been researching ways of introducing grain crops into no-till in the irrigated conditions of Uzbekistan three crops can existing crop rotation mainly with cotton and lucerne. The be grown easily, late summer planting of different crops such as Government set out a longer-term strategy to diversify and cabbage, reddish are options to get third harvest within a year. intensify crop production in the country in Presidential De- Double cropping where sufficient water is available could help cree "Measures for agricultural reform and promotion from to prevent soil erosion and to break pest cycles currently en-2016 to 2020" No. 2460 dated 29 December 2015, whereby couraged by monocultures, and thus to reduce pesticide use. between 2016-2020 about 170,000 ha of cotton and about Materials and methods
50.000 ha of wheat will be diversified towards cultivating The experiment was laid out in randomized complete
potatoes, vegetables, intensive orchards, fodder, oil and block design with four replicates. Plot size was 200 m2(25 x other crops. Uzbekistan has progressed well in agriculture x 8 m). There were three different tillage options; conven-and has attained not only food self-sufficiency but also a big tional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and no-till (NT).
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using replicated trials in randomized complete block design was used to study the relationship between tillage and yield. All statistical analyses were performed with GenStat 17th edition.
Monitoring over the crop growth and development was conducted from the time of the starting (10%) and full completion (75%) of the different stages during crop season. Field observations on germination, number of grains per pod, number of grains per m2, thousand kernel weight,
Table 1. - Soil parameters of experimental
plant height, days to heading, days to flowering, days to maturity, dry matter and grain yield.
Soil sampling done in October 2014 in two different depth 0-20, 20-40 and 30-60 cm (table 1). In selected samples the identification was conducted on following - humus on I. V. Turin method, GOST 26213-91, easy hydrolyzed nitrogen, on Kornfield ("Methodical directions..., 1985), mobile compounds of phosphorus and exchange potassium on Machigin method, GOST 26205-91, pH-water extract according to GOST 17.5.01.-84.
site in irrigated site in Gissar (2014-2015)
Soil type and texture Soil layer Humus content,% N (%) P (%) N-NO3, mg/kg PO mg/kg ^ mg/kg
Light sirozem and heavy loamy 0-20 0.612 0.045 0.141 12.87 27.84 380
20-40 0.457 0.061 0.114 10.87 24.57 365
40-60 0.211 0.016 0.101 9.24 13.05 300
Ammophous 30 kg/ha was applied before and during planting. Ammonium nitrate was used as a nitrogen fertilizer (34%) depending on weather conditions. Field observations were recorded on seed germination, days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, thousand kernel weight, dry matter yield and grain yield. The yields were recorded before harvest at one square meter from each plot.
Results
Multi-cropping offers much opportunity to provide additional production from present land resources. This system
can be described as growing two or more crops in one growing season, utilizing climatic patterns in different geographic areas to increase total production per unit of land. The multi-crop potential may be the most important of today's modern agricultural developments. The (table 2) presented ANOVA for grain yield. There was no significant difference in double cropped mungbean grain yield between the various tillage methods and tillage against to year in the irrigated conditions of Uzbekistan (0.078).
Table 2. - Analysis of variance of grain yield
Source of variation d.f. s.s m.s v.r. F pr
Tillage 2 1815421 907710 2.95 0.078
Tillage.Year 3 581458 193820 0.63 0.605
Residual 18 5542999 307944
Total 23 7939878
Remarks: d.f- Degree of freedom; m.s - means square; v.r - variance ratio; F - F-test statistic.
Table 3. - Least significant differences of means (5% level)
Treatment Treatment. Year
rep. 8 4
d.f. 18 18
l.s.d. 582.9 824.4
Remarks: d.f- Degree of freedom; l.s.d - least significant difference.
In double cropping system, decreasing tillage is very important due to limited time for seedbed preparation and to keep the production cost low Limon-Ortega et al. [2], Wilhelm et al. [6]. Application of CA cropping systems can reduce the time element while retaining any soil moisture
that may be present at harvest of the winter cereal crop, and reducing runoff, soil erosion and soil evaporation; and grain production per year can be increased. There is also the possibility that double cropping can help break pest cycles that are encouraged by monocultures, and thus reduce pesticide use (Nurbekov et al., [3]). Mungbean grain yield increased with tillage methods. The greatest grain yield response was recorded with no-till mungbean 1898 and 2365 kg/ha in 2014 and 2015 year respectively. Conventional tillage had lowest 1595 and 1365 kg/ha in 2014 and 2015 year (Figure 1). The differences in the mungbean grain yields between conventional till and no-till is not clear yet, but we hypothesize that soil moisture content could have been a cause yield in-
crease.
■ 2014 ■ 2015
2500
2000 I
' Il II II
CT MT NT
Tillage
Figure 1. Double cropped mungbean grain yield
Economic information on double-cropped no-till mungbean cultivation is not readily available for Uzbekistan. Although no significant effects of reduced soil disturbance on cotton or wheat yields had been observed for instance in Uzbekistan, the initial yield loss that allegedly occurs when introducing CA was also not observed, while savings in operational costs were achieved immediately (Egamberdiev [1], Tursunov [5]).
Table 4. - Economics of planting methods on winter wheat productivity
Cost items CT MT NT
Yield kg/ha 1610 1780 2370
Crop price per kg/USD 1.1 1.1 1.1
Yield USD 1771 1958 2607
Total variable costs USD 845 775 605
Profit USD 926 1183 2002
The highest net income (1293 USD ha) was obtained from no-till treatment and the other two treatments conventional and minimum tillage with disking had 550 and 812 USD net income respectively (Table 3). The maximum (2002), medium 1183 and minimum 926 net revenue was obtained with no-till, minimum tillage with disking and conventional tillage methods respectively. It can be concluded that no-till treatment is the best on the basis of cost benefit analysis of the present study.
Discussion
Cotton, wheat, barley and maize continued to be the major crops grown by private and public sectors in Uzbekistan. In the irrigated areas of Uzbekistan, farmers usually finish harvesting winter wheat and barley during the period mid-June through mid-July, and they undertake next planting of these winter cereals during the first fortnight of October.
Thus, the land remained idle for more than three months after the wheat harvest, and efficient of the land could be made through double cropping for example with legume crops. Climatic conditions of the Uzbekistan allow growing two crops per year. In this case multi-cropping (growing two or more crops in one growing season) offers much opportunity to provide additional production. Multiple cropping (growing two or more crops in one year or a single growing season) offers a good opportunity to increase annual crop production. Multiple cropping is one of the most important modern agricultural developments for production intensification. In double-cropping, timing of planting of the second crop becomes limited along with pressures of harvesting of the mature crop on time.
Mungbean is one of the best second crop that can be grown after winter wheat harvest not only in Uzbekistan but also in entire southern part of the Central Asia. The introduction of cereal or legume crops into the existing cropping systems in Central Asia as a second crop after wheat and barley harvest could be a promising alternative for increasing total grain production. The evidence from Central Asia indicates that CA practices are suitable for the existing major cropping systems. Research results from all Central Asian countries have shown that CA is suitable for the heterogeneous local conditions; and can provide similar or higher crop yields while saving considerable production resources, including fuel, seeds, water, agrochemicals and labour (Nurbekov et al. [4]).
In double-cropping, timing of planting the second crop becomes limited along with pressures of harvesting the mature crop (Nurbekov et al. [4]). No-till system reduces the time element while retaining soil moisture that is already present, and reducing run-off, soil erosion and soil evaporation.
Fuel for producing agricultural products has become expensive and no longer is available in unlimited supply. By
using no-tillage and multiple cropping technique, two crops can be planted with the same fuel required for one conventional crop. Fuel for harvest, processing and transportation would be higher than in single crop production owing to increased production and extra harvest. Farmers and researchers agree that double cropping can add grain or forage production in the project countries.
Conclusions
The research results shows that there was no significant difference no-till mungbean grain yield between minimum and conventional tillage methods against to year in the irrigated conditions of Uzbekistan.
No-till mungbean had higher grain productivity than conventional and minimum tillage mungbean over two years of the experiment in exponential site which is very important conclusion to wider adoption of double-cropping in Uzbekistan.
Cost benefit analysis shows that returns under no-till is almost double higher compare to the conventional and minimum tillage method.
Through double-cropping two crops can be planted with the same fuel required for one conventional crop, output will be increased, while overall cost of production is reduced, and equipment will be used more fully and labor requirements are spread more evenly through the year.
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