Rice-Wheat cropping system pre-dominated in the India covering an area of about million hectare. Adverse effect of continuous puddling in rice field forced scientists to search for other methods of rice establishment like direct seeding; machines transplanted and dry seeding with ZT machine and wheat by zero tillage etc. In a 3‐year study, we assessed the effects of crop establishment methods in participatory mode on farmers’ field through on farm on productivity and profitability in a rice–wheat (RW) system at Basti, Siddharthnagar and Gorakhpur district of . Result of the study revealed that rice sown with drum seeder in puddled condition gave highest grain yield among the rice establishment methods tested. Rice sowing with drum seeder yield was increased , and % over farmer practice in Basti, Siddharthnagar and Gorakhpur locations, respectively. Wheat planted in Rice (UPMTP) - Wheat (ZT) gave tha-1 grain yields than FP. Zero tillage wheat sown obtained , and % higher yield over the farmers practice in Basti, Siddharthnagar and Gorakhpur locations. Treatment unpuddled mechanical transplanted rice and zero tillage wheat recorded highest rice equivalent yield t ha-1 yr-1 . Treatments rice (DSR) – wheat (ZT) followed by rice (DMS) –wheat (ZT) and rice (UPMTP) –wheat (ZT) obtained higher net return and B: C ratio. However, compared with traditional practice of cultivation farmers much convinced with rice sown either dry direct seeded or mechanical transplanted drum seeding and wheat by zero tillage technology, especially in terms of independency of agricultural labourers, yield potential and benefit-cost ratio. Results from this study revealed that conventionally tilled (CT) and transplanting of rice could be successfully replaced by adoption of the profitable DSR - wheat ZT in –rice-wheat system. | Influence of crop establishment methods on crop water productivity and profitability in rice-wheat systems under eastern Indo Gangetic plains
