A field experiment was conducted during 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 on a silty clay-loam soil, to identify suitable rice (Oryza sativa L.) based cropping systems with high productivity under stored water supply in Kymore plateau of Madhya Pradesh. Rice, as a base crop, was sequenced with other feasible winter crops, viz. wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori & Paol.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) for green pods, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. nom. cons.). Green pods of pea taken after rice with 4 irrigations gave the highest rice equivalent yield (84.99 q/ha) and net return (Rs 42,900/ha). The second best sequence was tomato after rice (89.63 q/ha and Rs 38,200/ha) followed by potato after rice (67.52 q/ha and Rs 28,470/ha). Wheat after rice gave the lowest rice-equivalent yield (46.92 q/ha) and net return (Rs 18,940/ha) with 4 irrigations. Irrigation efficiency and water-use efficiency were higher in potato and tomato grown after rice. Rice yield up to 28 q/ha and net return up to Rs 9,000/ha were common in all the sequences. Rice pea sequence recorded lower land-use, efficiency and higher, production efficiency, while the reverse was true in case of rice-wheat sequence.
