ABSTRACT
Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system in north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains performed a crucial role in the national food security. However, the widespread and intensive cultivation of this system has led to serious problems such as declining groundwater table (~1 meter year-1) with sharp increase in number of districts under over-exploitation category, residue burning, higher greenhouse gases emission and herbicide resistance in weeds, causing stagnant crop productivity and lesser profitability. In this review article, an attempt has been made to discuss the major issues pertaining to intensive rice-wheat cultivation amidst climate vagaries and futuristic approach to address these challenges. Different tillage- and crop-specific recommendations such as adoption of direct seeded rice, diversification with lesser resource guzzling crops such as maize (Zea mays L.) at least on the periodic manner especially in light-medium soils, inclusion of summer legumes and alternative tillage systems (permanent beds and zero tillage with residue retention) have been suggested to address these issues. However, crop performance under these techniques has been found to be location, soil and cultivar specific. The absence of aerobic tailored genotypes and weeds have been identified as the major constraints in adoption of direct seeded rice. The integrated strategies of conservation tillage, crop breeding program and resource conserving region- and soil-specific agronomic measures with crop diversification would be helpful in tackling the sustainability issues. It requires future efforts on developing crop genotypes suited to conservation tillage, effective weed control strategies and trainings and demonstrations to farmers to switch from conventional rice-wheat system to alternative cropping systems.
ABSTRACT
Understanding the mode of gene action that controls seed yield and Sclerotinia stem rot resistance in Indian mustard is critical for boosting yield potential. In a line × tester mating design, ten susceptible lines and four resistant testers were used to conduct genetic analysis. The significance of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances revealed that both additive and non-additive gene actions were involved in the inheritance of Sclerotinia stem rot resistance and yield attributing traits. In addition to 1000-seed weight and number of primary and secondary branches/plant, the genotypes RH 1569 (line) and DRMR 2035 (tester) appeared to be the strongest general combiners for Sclerotinia stem rot resistance. RH 1657 × EC 597317 was the only cross among several that demonstrated a significant desired SCA value for Sclerotinia rot resistance. Regarding SCA effects for yield and component traits, the cross RH 1658 × EC 597328 performed best, with a non-significant but acceptable negative SCA effect for resistance. DRMR 2035, RH 1222-28, RH 1569, RH 1599-41, RH 1657, RH 1658, and EC 597328 are promising genotypes to use as parents in future heterosis breeding and for obtaining populations with high yield potential and greater resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot disease in Indian mustard, based on GCA effects of parents, per se performance, and SCA effects of hybrids. Days to 50% flowering, number of primary branches/plant, main shoot length, and 1000-seed weight all had a high genotypic coefficient of variability (GCV), broad-sense heritability (h2bs), and genetic advance as percent of the mean (GAM) values, as well as significant and desirable correlations and direct effects on seed yield. As a result, these traits have been recognized as the most critical selection criterion for Indian mustard breeding programs.
