Evaluation of integrated crop management practices for enhancing wheat productivity in semi-arid regions

Abstract:

Wheat management practices in semi-arid Vietnam have changed little since the 1990s despite declining soil fertility and increasing weather variability. This research compared five levels of integrated crop management (ICM) from conventional farmer practice to a full ICM package with biofertiliser on wheat grain yield, water-use efficiency (WUE), and economic return at the Red River Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Hanoi, over two consecutive rabi seasons (2021–22 and 2022–23). The full ICM package (T4) raised mean grain yield to 4.28 t ha⁻¹, a 53.7% increase over farmer practice (2.80 t ha⁻¹). Adding biofertiliser (T5) gave a further 4.1% lift. WUE peaked at 14.3 kg grain ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ under T4. Net returns were highest for T4 at 1,847 USD ha⁻¹, with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.31. These results confirm that combining soil-test-based nutrition, improved varieties, conservation tillage, and IPM can substantially lift wheat productivity in semi-arid settings.