Irrigation and primary nutrients' performance on winter maize productivity, profitability, energetics, and carbon footprint in Gangetic plains of India.

Suitable irrigation and nutrient management can help to introduce and elevate the winter maize productivity and profitability in Gangetic plains of West Bengal, India where rice-wheat is the dominant cropping system. Maize cultivation using these two vital inputs needs to be standardized to achieve the best performance under specific agro-climatic conditions. Further, adequate information regarding energy budgeting and carbon footprint (CF) from winter maize cultivation under different irrigation and nutrient levels is rarely explored. Therefore, a two-year field trial in Gangetic plains of West Bengal was executed using three irrigation regimes (I: 30, I: 50 and I: 70% depletion of available soil moisture or DASM) and four nutrients' levels (F: 0:0:0, F: 100:50:50, F: 150:75:75 and F: 200:100:100 kg N: PO: KO ha) to study the productivity, profitability, energetics, and CF. Pooled analysis revealed that maximum productivity (grain yield, cob yield, and stover yield) of winter maize was observed under IF (~ 366, 305, and 176% higher over IF), followed and shown statistical similarity by IF (~ 359, 301, and 172% higher over IF). Further, the highest net return (US$ 1057 ha) and benefit: cost (2.25) were observed under IF. Additionally, IF recorded maximum net energy gain, while in terms of energy productivity, IF outperformed others. However, among these two treatments, IF relatively generated less CF and ensured high carbon output and efficiency. Therefore, the study recommends the application of irrigation at 50% DASM and 200:100:100 kg N: PO: KO ha for winter maize cultivation in the study region of West Bengal, India.