Abstract
Purpose
Maize production in the Ganges delta coastal ecosystem is increasingly threatened by late-sowing-via-conventional-tillage which delays sowing until January and exposes crops to cyclones, tidal flooding etc. in April-May. This three year field study evaluated a novel strip tillage technology that enables early sowing in wet soil conditions immediately after
Aman rice that is traditionally harvested in the first week of January, allowing maize to escape climatic hazards.
Methods
The experiment, conducted during the 2022–2024 Rabi seasons, compared early-sowing-via-strip-tillage and late-sowing-via-conventional-tillage under three phosphorus (P) rates (50, 60, and 70 kg ha−1). Conventional full tillage was done after drying of soil in the first week of January, while strip tillage was done immediately after harvesting of Aman rice within mid-December into wet soil conditions.
Results
Strip tillage advanced sowing by 20–25 days and facilitated harvest by early May, which reduced the risk of crop loss from climatic extremes. Across three-years the grain yield was 9.88–11.2 t ha−1 in early-sowing-via-strip-tillage and 9.28–10.7 t ha−1 in late-sowing-via-conventional-tillage. Early-sowing-via-strip-tillage consistently increased maize grain yield by 5–12% over late-sowing-via-conventional-tillage, primarily due to higher 1000-grain weight. While P uptake and yield were higher in early-sowing-via-strip-tillage, there was no significant difference among tillage methods for optimum P application rate (60 kg P ha−1), indicating improved nutrient uptake efficiency.
Conclusion
This study is the first to demonstrate that integrating early sowing with strip tillage and precision P management can sustainably intensify dry-season maize production on coastal fallow lands and enhance resilience in climate-vulnerable agroecosystems.