
Around 24 million ha of the 141 million ha cultivable lands of India are kept fallow in some cropping season of the year due to limited canal water supply, insufficient rainfall and lack of resources for cultivation. Fallow paddy fields can be used for growing crops during the post-rainy season by utilizing residual moisture and improved nutrient management practices with minimum supplemental irrigation. Improving the production of food crops to meet the increasing demand, enhancing resource use efficiency and farm income, and sustaining better rice-based cropping systems are major challenges in the semi-arid region that should be addressed extensively.