Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification in India and elsewhere focused mainly on its impacts on yield and income, and usually covered just one or two seasons. Researchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research have conducted a more comprehensive evaluation of SRI methods over six years (six wet and six dry seasons), comparing them with three alternatives: modified, partially mechanized SRI (MSRI) to reduce labor requirements; direct-seeded rice (DSR) as an alternative method for growing rice; and conventional transplanting of rice with flooding of fields (CTF). Grain yield with SRI methods was found to be about 50% higher than with CTF (6.35 t ha⁻¹ vs. 4.27 t ha⁻¹), while the MSRI yield was essentially the same (6.34 t ha⁻¹), 16% more than with DSR (5.45 t ha⁻¹). Water productivity with SRI methods was 5.32–6.85 kg ha-mm⁻¹, followed by 4.14–5.72 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for MSRI, 5.06–5.11 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for DSR, and 3.52–4.56 kg ha-mm⁻¹ for CTF. In comparison with CTF, SRI methods significantly enhanced soil microbial populations over time: bacteria by 12%, fungi by 8%, and actinomycetes by 20%. Biological activity in the rhizosphere was also higher as indicated by 8.5% greater dehydrogenase and 16% more FDA enzymes in soil under SRI management. Similarly, an indicator of soil organic matter, glucosidase activity, was 78% higher compared to CTF. SRI enhanced the relative abundance of beneficial microbial-feeding nematodes by 7.5% compared to CTF, while that of plant-pathogenic nematodes was 7.5% lower under SRI. Relative to conventional methods, SRI management reduced GHG emissions by 21%, while DSR reduced them by 23%, and MSRI by 13%, compared to standard rice-growing practice. Economic analysis showed both gross and net economic returns to be higher with SRI than with the other management systems evaluated. While the six-year study documented many advantages of SRI crop management, it also showed that MSRI is a promising adaptation that provides similar benefits but with lower labor requirements.

Wood fiber is used for the manufacture of various kinds of paper, packaging material, tissues, paperboard etc. The conventional soft woods and hard woods used as raw materials by pulp, paper and cellulose based indus- tries are depleting day by day and the wood imports are draining country's foreign exchange. Short rotation in- dustrial agroforestry plantations with the fast growing tree species are potential sources to fill this gap and to make the nation self reliant in pulpwood supply. Poplar, eucalyptus, leucaena and bamboo are the ideal spe- cies that can be grown commercially in private lands for meeting the wood requirements and has the potential to produce a biomass of 18 to 49 tl ha per year. The pulp yield from these species ranges from 40 to 49% of the wood biomass produced. With the expansion of wood markets, high biomass yields and amenability for har- vesting in short rotations, short rotation woody crops can be one of the profitable options for fiber production on lands which are not suitable for intensive arable cropping. Some of the important fiber supplying species which are grown under Indian conditions and their agroforestry systems and profitability aspects are discussed in the paper.

Rainfall deficits and erratic dry spells pose major challenges in rainfed ecosystem. In-situ moisture conservation practices (MCP) like ridge–furrow methods, improve soil moisture but are inadequate during 2–3 week dry spells at critical crop stages (flowering and maturity), leading to yield loss. Supplemental irrigation (SI) using an ex-situ rainwater harvesting (RWH) pond can mitigate these effects, but optimizing the pond design is challenging due to limited runoff and storage losses. This study aims to design RWH pond for small farm holders with a 1.0 ha area and evaluate its efficient use for SI during intermittent dry spells and critical crop stages. The design volume was estimated using the SCS-CN method based on daily rainfall data (1974–2010) for the northeast monsoon. A pond with a capacity of 487.5 m³, constructed for a 1 ha micro-watershed, was used to observe the runoff for design validation. The harvested runoff can be used as SI for a cultivable area of 0.4 ha, based on the watershed-to-cultivable area ratio. Statistical analysis of observed and estimated runoff data from 2011 to 2023 revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.87), confirming the pond design. Harvested rainwater, applied through micro-irrigation (rain gun) at a depth of 50 mm during moisture stress periods, significantly improved cotton productivity. The combined use of harvested rainwater and MCP increased yield in the range of 3.8 to 25.3%, improved rainwater use efficiency (1.52 to 3.13 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹), and had a higher benefit-cost ratio (1.15 to 2.43) over a 13-year period. This study concludes that integrating in-situ MCP with ex-situ RWH with micro-irrigation significantly improves rainfed crop productivity in vertisols.

A study was conducted at Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) during 1999ii2002 to evaluate the production potential of tree- crop systems under rainfed situations. Four tree species, viz. Azadirachta indica, Albizia lebbeck, Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia nilotica were evaluated in sole stands and intercropped with chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in 6 x 12 m spacing. The intercrop had a positive effect on the growth of Azadirachta indica and Albizia lebbeck but not on Acacia nilotica and D. sissoo. Acacia nilotica and D. sissoo produced maximum growth, Azadirachta indica pro- duced minimum growth and Albizia lebbeck intermediate growth. None of the tree species reduced the crop yield in agroforestry in the first 3 years of tree growth. In the fourth year (2001-02), 25 to 36% reduction in grain yield and 37 to 45% reduction in stalk yield across the four tree species was recorded. The highest reduction was ob- served nearer to the tree row and the negative effectdecreased with distance from the tree. Forage and crude-pro- tein yields were higher from D. sissoo and the fuel-wood yield was higher from Acacia nilotica. Benefit : cost ratio and the net present worth was the highest with Acacia nilotica system, followed by that of D. sissoo. Hence both these tree species can be grown in combination with crops in the semi-arid central India to produce fodder and fuelwood.