Decision support systems are key for yield improvement in modern agriculture. Crop models are decision support tools for crop management to increase crop yield and reduce production risks. Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and an Agricultural System simulator (APSIM), intercomparisons were done to evaluate their performance for wheat simulation. Two-year field experimental data were used for model parameterization. The first year was used for calibration and the second-year data were used for model evaluation and intercomparison. Calibrated models were then evaluated with 155 farmers’ fields surveyed for data in rice-wheat cropping systems. Both models simulated crop phenology, leaf area index (LAI), total dry matter and yield with high goodness of fit to the measured data during both years of evaluation. DSSAT better predicted yield compared to APSIM with a goodness of fit of 64% and 37% during evaluation of 155 farmers’ data. Comparison of individual farmer’s yields showed that the model simulated wheat yield with percent differences (PDs) of −25% to 17% and −26% to 40%, Root Mean Square Errors (RMSEs) of 436 and 592 kg ha⁻¹ with reasonable d-statistics of 0.87 and 0.72 for DSSAT and APSIM, respectively. Both models were used successfully as decision support system tools for crop improvement under vulnerable environments.

The growing global population and water scarcities are putting pressure on researchers to develop new techniques for food production that require less water. In agriculture, sustainable irrigation methods considerably improve water-use efficiency (WUE), economic returns, and crop productivity. A field trial was carried out during 2022 and 2023 to examine the impact of different irrigation techniques—furrow irrigation (FI), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and continuous flooding (CF)—on water-use efficiency, economic benefits, cost of production, and productivity of different high-yielding rice varieties (i.e., V₁: Super gold 2019, V₂: Super basmati 2019, V₃: Kissan basmati 2016, V₄: Punjab basmati 2016, V₅: Chenab basmati 2016). Findings showed that yield and yield parameters were statistically higher in AWD than FI and CF. Chenab basmati 2016 was superior in productivity as compared to the remaining varieties in both years. Water-use efficiency, net income, and cost/benefit ratio were highest in AWD as compared to CF and FI. AWD irrigation methods coupled with Chenab basmati 2016 were the most effective combination of treatments for obtaining more grain yield with maximum water savings, net income, and cost/benefit ratio.

Cotton is a global cash crop with a significant contribution in the world economy. Optimum nutrient and water supply are most important for sustainable cotton production under warmer and dry environments. Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the cumulative impacts of various nitrogen doses and mulches on sustainable cotton production under semi-arid conditions during 2018 and 2019. Four nitrogen doses; 0, 70, 140, and 210 kg ha⁻¹ and three types of mulch: control (without mulch), natural mulch (5 tons/ha wheat straw), and chemical mulch (methanol (30%). Nitrogen 210 kg ha⁻¹ with natural mulching increased 40.5% gunning out turn, 30.0% fiber length, 31.7% fiber strength, 32.6% fiber fineness, 20.8% fiber uniformity, and 34.0% fiber elongation. Shoot nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents were maximum where 210 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen and mulch was applied. Natural mulch reduced the soil temperature as compared to chemical and no mulch conditions. The soil temperature was 0.5 to 1.8 ℃ lower in mulching treatments as compared to the control. Maximum economic yield was around 90% higher in natural mulch with the 210 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen application. It is concluded that optimum nitrogen application with natural mulch not only enhanced plant growth and development but also induced sustainability in quality cotton production under semi-arid conditions.

Intensive land use with inappropriate land management is directly degrading South Asian uplands. A field trial was carried out on the uplands of Western Thailand with a 25% slope to examine the effect of land use management on soil loss for sustainable crop production during two consecutive years (2010–2011). Various cropping systems with soil conservation practices were compared to maize sole cropping (MSC). Results revealed that soil loss was at a minimum in the intercropping system of maize-chili-hedgerows with minimum tillage and fertilization that was 50% to 61% and 60% to 81% less than MSC and the bare soil plot during both years, respectively. Yield advantage was at its maximum, as indicated by the highest land equivalent ratios of 1.28 and 1.21 during 2010 and 2011, respectively, in maize-chili-hedgerows-intercropping with minimum tillage and fertilization. The highest economic returns (5925 and 1058 euros ha⁻¹ during 2010 and 2011, respectively) were also obtained from maize-chili-hedgerows-intercropping with minimum tillage and fertilization. Chili fresh fruit yield was maximum in the chili alone plot during both years due to the greater area under cultivation compared with intercropping. Maize-chili-hedgerows with minimum tillage and fertilization reduced soil loss and increased land productivity and net returns, indicating its promising features for sustainable crop production on uplands.