Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India
Rice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| author | Rakesh Kumar Anup Das Surajit Mondal Pravin Kumar Upadhyay Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt Janki Sharan Mishra Anil Kumar Singh Jaipal Singh Choudhary Sanjeev Kumar Prem Kumar Sundaram Ashis Kumar Biswas Sanjay Singh Rathore Rajiv Kumar Singh Puspa Parameswari Dhiraj Kumar Singh Santosh Kumar Akram Ahmad Kirti Saurabh Kumari Shubha Ajay Kumar Manibhushan Pawan Jeet Ved Prakash Bal Krishna Jha Sushant Kumar Naik Santosh Sambhaji Mali Rakesh Kumar Surendra Kumar Ahirwal Vinod Kumar Singh Devendra Mandal Manoj Kumar Roy Arbind Kumar Choudhary Sudhir Kumar Rajpoot Suresh Kumar Chaudhari |
| author_facet | Rakesh Kumar Anup Das Surajit Mondal Pravin Kumar Upadhyay Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt Janki Sharan Mishra Anil Kumar Singh Jaipal Singh Choudhary Sanjeev Kumar Prem Kumar Sundaram Ashis Kumar Biswas Sanjay Singh Rathore Rajiv Kumar Singh Puspa Parameswari Dhiraj Kumar Singh Santosh Kumar Akram Ahmad Kirti Saurabh Kumari Shubha Ajay Kumar Manibhushan Pawan Jeet Ved Prakash Bal Krishna Jha Sushant Kumar Naik Santosh Sambhaji Mali Rakesh Kumar Surendra Kumar Ahirwal Vinod Kumar Singh Devendra Mandal Manoj Kumar Roy Arbind Kumar Choudhary Sudhir Kumar Rajpoot Suresh Kumar Chaudhari |
| author_sort | Rakesh Kumar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has approximately 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land, with India contributing the largest share (88.3%). Eastern Indian states, which account for 82% of India’s rice-fallow area, presents significant opportunities for cropping intensification. However, several constraints—such as biotic (pest and disease), abiotic stresses (temperature extremes, drought, etc.), rapid soil moisture depletion, and disturbances from free-grazing livestock-hinder efforts to cultivate a second crop, perpetuating poverty among the small and marginal farmers. Introducing stress-tolerant rabi crops, particularly pulses (chickpea, lentil, lathyrus, field pea) and oilseeds (mustard, toria, safflower, linseed), offers a promising solution to enhance system productivity and improve the farmers’ livelihoods. Policymakers have recently increased the public investment in rice-fallows intensification, yet fragmented and ad-hoc initiatives often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes due to complex and multidimensional challenges involved. This study critically examines the key issues affecting rice-fallow lands and provides strategic recommendations to convert these underutilized areas into the productive cropping systems during winter and spring. Additionally, it reviews Central and State Government programs related to rice-fallow management, emphasizing the need for research to align with ongoing policy initiatives for maximum impact. The findings of this study offers a valuable insights for the policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, highlighting the potential of pulses and oilseeds to enhance the food security, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural production systems in the region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0f3e0db98354bb2b231d5668a657c1d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0f3e0db98354bb2b231d5668a657c1d2025-08-20T02:32:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-06-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15027591502759Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern IndiaRakesh Kumar0Anup Das1Surajit Mondal2Pravin Kumar Upadhyay3Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt4Janki Sharan Mishra5Anil Kumar Singh6Jaipal Singh Choudhary7Sanjeev Kumar8Prem Kumar Sundaram9Ashis Kumar Biswas10Sanjay Singh Rathore11Rajiv Kumar Singh12Puspa Parameswari13Dhiraj Kumar Singh14Santosh Kumar15Akram Ahmad16Kirti Saurabh17Kumari Shubha18Ajay Kumar19 Manibhushan20Pawan Jeet21Ved Prakash22Bal Krishna Jha23Sushant Kumar Naik24Santosh Sambhaji Mali25Rakesh Kumar26Surendra Kumar Ahirwal27Vinod Kumar Singh28Devendra Mandal29Manoj Kumar Roy30Arbind Kumar Choudhary31Sudhir Kumar Rajpoot32Suresh Kumar Chaudhari33Division of Crop Research, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDirector, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur, Maharashtra, IndiaDivision of Agronomy, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaICAR-Natural Resource Management Division, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan II, New Delhi, IndiaICAR-Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaDirector Research, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, IndiaICAR RCER-Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, IndiaDivision of Crop Research, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India0ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaDivision of Agronomy, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaDivision of Agronomy, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, IndiaDivision of Agronomy, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India1Division of Socio-Economic and Extension, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Crop Research, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Crop Research, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Land and Water Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaICAR RCER-Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, IndiaICAR RCER-Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, IndiaICAR RCER-Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India2Division of Livestock and Fisheries Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India2Division of Livestock and Fisheries Management, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India3ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana, India4Dr. Kalam Agricultural College, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalapur, Bihar, India5Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Manpur, Gaya, Bihar, IndiaDivision of Crop Research, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India6Department of Agronomy, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaICAR-Natural Resource Management Division, Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan II, New Delhi, IndiaRice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has approximately 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land, with India contributing the largest share (88.3%). Eastern Indian states, which account for 82% of India’s rice-fallow area, presents significant opportunities for cropping intensification. However, several constraints—such as biotic (pest and disease), abiotic stresses (temperature extremes, drought, etc.), rapid soil moisture depletion, and disturbances from free-grazing livestock-hinder efforts to cultivate a second crop, perpetuating poverty among the small and marginal farmers. Introducing stress-tolerant rabi crops, particularly pulses (chickpea, lentil, lathyrus, field pea) and oilseeds (mustard, toria, safflower, linseed), offers a promising solution to enhance system productivity and improve the farmers’ livelihoods. Policymakers have recently increased the public investment in rice-fallows intensification, yet fragmented and ad-hoc initiatives often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes due to complex and multidimensional challenges involved. This study critically examines the key issues affecting rice-fallow lands and provides strategic recommendations to convert these underutilized areas into the productive cropping systems during winter and spring. Additionally, it reviews Central and State Government programs related to rice-fallow management, emphasizing the need for research to align with ongoing policy initiatives for maximum impact. The findings of this study offers a valuable insights for the policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, highlighting the potential of pulses and oilseeds to enhance the food security, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural production systems in the region.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1502759/fullcrop diversificationcropping intensificationintegrated crop managementoilseedspulsesrice-fallow |
| spellingShingle | Rakesh Kumar Anup Das Surajit Mondal Pravin Kumar Upadhyay Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt Janki Sharan Mishra Anil Kumar Singh Jaipal Singh Choudhary Sanjeev Kumar Prem Kumar Sundaram Ashis Kumar Biswas Sanjay Singh Rathore Rajiv Kumar Singh Puspa Parameswari Dhiraj Kumar Singh Santosh Kumar Akram Ahmad Kirti Saurabh Kumari Shubha Ajay Kumar Manibhushan Pawan Jeet Ved Prakash Bal Krishna Jha Sushant Kumar Naik Santosh Sambhaji Mali Rakesh Kumar Surendra Kumar Ahirwal Vinod Kumar Singh Devendra Mandal Manoj Kumar Roy Arbind Kumar Choudhary Sudhir Kumar Rajpoot Suresh Kumar Chaudhari Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems crop diversification cropping intensification integrated crop management oilseeds pulses rice-fallow |
| title | Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India |
| title_full | Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India |
| title_fullStr | Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India |
| title_short | Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India |
| title_sort | greening rice fallow areas integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern india |
| topic | crop diversification cropping intensification integrated crop management oilseeds pulses rice-fallow |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1502759/full |
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