In Eastern India, timely planting can mitigate climate change

by Sugandha Munshi, Amit Srivastava,R.K.Sohane, Anil Kumar Yadav ,Rajesh Kumar ,Prakashan Veetill, Vikram Patil, Paneerselvam,Sonam Sherpa and Virender Kumar

By 2050, feeding a projected population of 9.1 billion will become necessary. This will require an increase in food production by 70% between 2005-2007 and 2050 with developing countries needing to double their production. Achieving this goal demands innovations and collaborative efforts to end global hunger while ensuring nutritional and food security for all.

The challenge is further complicated by climate change and its impact on the entire agriculture system. In South Asia, particularly in the Eastern Gangetic Plain (EGP) region—which includes the Terai of Nepal, all of Bangladesh, and the densely populated states of Eastern India, namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal—climate change is having a direct effect on agriculture. Exploring the various dynamics affecting agronomic productivity is crucial to enhancing food production. One significant intervention in this context is optimizing planting dates in the rice-wheat system of the Eastern Gangetic Plains in India. The timing of planting directly influences crop productivity in the region. Given the ongoing changes due to climate, managing optimal planting dates has become a vital agronomic factor for increasing productivity.

The impact of planting dates on rice productivity is paramount. Planting time has consistently been identified as one of the most crucial agronomic variables for increasing yield, and it is expected to remain significant under current and future climate scenarios. Therefore, timely management of optimal planting dates for rice is essential at the farmer’s field to boost rice productivity and advance wheat sowing dates. This helps to avoid terminal heat stress during the maturity stage. Additionally, timely planting improves resource efficiency. It is crucial to approach rice and wheat cultivation as an integrated system to achieve transformative changes in yield patterns.