Strategies for Cropping System
Intensification in a Moderately Saline
Region of the Coastal Zone of Bangladesh
Sanjida P. Ritu, M. K. Mondal, T. P. Tuong,
S. U. Talukdar, E. Humphreys

Contents
 Background
 Hypothesis and objectives
 Methodology
 Results
 Conclusion
 Recommendation

Study Site: Polder 30, Batiaghata, Khulna, in the southwest
coastal zone of Bangladesh
Study
site

Background
 Cropping intensity low
 Farmers are poorer
 Increase cropping intensity and crop yield
will improve livelihood of farmers the
coastal areas.

0
100
200
300
400
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rainfall/Evaporation(mm)
Rainfall-LT
Rainfall0.8 p
Evaporation-LT
Long term Rainfall and evaporation
pattern in Khulna district
Lack of fresh water availability and salinity intrusion restricts
Dry Season crop cultivation
Traditional Rice
River water salinity of river
kazibacha in in Khulna district

Proposed Cropping Pattern (aus-aman)
JanDecNovOctSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDec
RainfallIrrigation (GW)
HYV amanHYV ausDry seeding = 8-9 t/ha/yr
Use of ground water for supplementary
irrigation will secure aus crop
establishment
Hypothesis
a. Replace traditional aman with HYV
b. Short duration HYV in aus season
• HYV aus -HYV aman cropping system

 aus –aman cropping pattern
 Three years (2006-2008)
• aus-aman system yield ~8 t/ha/year
• dry seeded aus established under three water management
scenarios and three seeding dates
• rainfall at beginning of rainy season varied greatly across
years, affecting aus establishment & performance
• dry seeded aus in late April gave good establishment, but
may lead to late planting of aman, reducing yield of
photosensitive varieties

Hypothesis for 2009 experiment
(based on 2006-08 findings)
• Late planting (early May) of aus will give good
establishment
• Transplanting is less risky than direct seeding
• photo-insensitive varieties will perform better than
sensitive because of delayed establishment due to
late planting of aus

Objectives aus-aman 2009
 To determine the effect of establishment method
on aus yield with delayed seeding
 To compare performance of photoperiod sensitive
& insensitive aman varieties in aus-aman system
for different planting dates

Treatments (Aus)
One variety- OM1490 (~ 110 day growth duration)
Main-plot: Establishment method
M1= Dry seeded
M2= Transplanted
Sub-plot: Aus establishment dates
D1= 30 April (26 May)
D2= 10 May (6 June)
Design: Strip Plot with 4 replications

Treatments (Aman)
Main-plot: Variety
V1= BR46 (Photo sensitive)
V2= BR49 (Photo insensitive)
Sub-plot: transplanting dates
D1= 5 September (after 1 week of aus harvest)
D2= 11 September
Design: Strip Plot with 4 replications

Aus season 2009
(variety: OM1490)
TP (26 May)
DS (10 May)DS (30 April)
TP (6 June)

Aman season 2009
BR49 11 Sept
BR46 5 Sept

Grain yield (kg/ha) aus 2009

Grain yield (kg/ha) aman 2009

Yield of aus-aman system 2009
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
30-Apr 11-May 30-Apr 11-May
OM1490 DS in aus OM 1490 TP in aus
Grainyield(kgha-1year-1)
Establishment method and date
BR46 BR49NS

• aus can be dry-seeded up to early-May but transplanting should
not delay later than end of April
• Photo-insensitive aman variety performed better planting until
early September
• Short duration aus-photo-insensitive aman yield > 9 t/ha/year
Conclusion

• More/all farmers need to adopt the system for successful
implementation
• More germplasm need to develop for increasing the total
system productivity rather individual crop season.
Recommendations

Thank you
Acknowledgement:
Financial and technical assistance from CPWF phase1 (PN #10)