Resource-conserving technologies with double no-till practices represent a major shift in production techniques for attaining optimal productivity, profitability and water use in rice-wheat (RW) systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Permanent raised beds (PRB) and double no-till with flat layouts are under evaluation for RW systems for a range of soils, climate, cultivars and seeding/crop establishment techniques (dry seeding, transplanting). To date, results have been inconsistent and systematic information on trials with PRB is lacking. Four researcher- and farmer-managed experiments were conducted with various tillage and crop establishment techniques for RW on PRB and flat layouts. The yield of rice on PRB was significantly lower than that on double no-till flat layouts, whereas wheat yield was highest on PRB. The total RW system yield with PRB was similar to that of other tillage and crop establishment techniques. However, irrigation and input (irrigation plus rain) water productivity (kg grain/m 3 of water) of both rice and wheat was much higher on PRB. In farmer-managed trials of transplanted basmati rice on PRB, profitability was highest on PRB (US$684/ha) and lowest with traditional practices (US$531/ha). In a researcher-managed long-term experiment, the soil physical properties (bulk density, mean weight diameter of aggregates, cone index and infiltration rate) improved significantly on PRB compared with the conventional puddled transplanted rice-tilled wheat system.
