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Coupling Subsurface Drip Irrigation and Integrated Crop Management in a Maize–Wheat Rotation for Increased Food, Water, and Energy Security in Northwest India

Arpula Sairam,K. Lal,Vinay Kumar Sindhu,Manoj Khanna,Susama Sudishri,P. S. Brahmanand,Y. S. Shivay,C. M. Parihar,Shiv Prasad,G. Abraham,Ahmed Gaber,A. Hossain

Published 2025 in Food and Energy Security

ABSTRACT

Increasing crop productivity, along with increasing water, nutrient, and energy use efficiency, is vital for sustainable food production. Globally, the maize–wheat system contributes to this goal by improving resource efficiency and ensuring food security. A field experiment was conducted in Northwest India to optimize water, nutrient, and energy use in a maize–wheat rotation system. This study evaluated four crop management systems (conventional chemical, organic, integrated, and natural farming), two irrigation methods (surface drip and subsurface drip) and two irrigation schedules (irrigation at 80% and 100% crop evapotranspiration, ETc) via a randomized complete block design over 2 years. A control with conventional flood irrigation and recommended fertilizer doses was also included for comparison. The integrated crop management system resulted in the highest productivity in terms of the maize equivalent yield (10.7 t ha −1 ), outperforming organic and natural farming systems by 16.8% and 32.4%, respectively, while remaining statistically equal to the conventional chemical system. System productivity was not affected by the type of drip irrigation; however, irrigation scheduling significantly influenced the grain yield of wheat alone. Combining the integrated production system with subsurface drip irrigation at 80% ETc increased productivity by 8.0%, net returns by 15.3%, reduced irrigation water use by 51.2%, and improved irrigation water productivity by 113.8% compared with conventional flood irrigation and soil application of recommended fertilizers. Additionally, the input energy was reduced by 27.9%, the output energy increased by 3.7%, and consequently, the energy use efficiency and energy productivity improved by 44.3% and 44.3%, respectively, compared with those of conventional flood irrigation and soil application with the recommended fertilizer doses. In conclusion, subsurface drip irrigation at 80% ETc, coupled with integrated crop management, significantly increased water, nutrient, and energy use efficiency, which is essential for sustainable food production in the maize–wheat cropping system.

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