Potential Productivity and Yield Gap of Selected Crops in the Rainfed Regions of India, Thailand, and Vietnam: Natural Resource Management Program Report no. 5

Abstract

ICRISAT’s intervention in the project “Improving Management of Natural Resources for Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture” funded by the Asian Development Bank aims to increase the productivity and sustainability of the medium and high water-holding capacity soils in the intermediate rainfall ecoregion of India, Thailand, and Vietnam. This study examined the potential yield and yield gap of selected crops predominantly grown in the target regions where the project is operational. We used the CROPGRO-soybean model to determine the potential yield and yield gap of soybean crop for several locations in India. For northeastern Thailand and northern Vietnam we compared the experimental yields with the farmers’ current yields in the region to estimate the yield gaps. It has been estimated that for several locations in India the soybean yield gap ranged from 19% to 65% of potential yield. For northeastern Thailand the yield gap for paddy rice, upland rice, maize, and soybean ranged from 11% to 67% of their respective potential yields. In northern Vietnam the farmers’ maize yields were two-third of the potential yield; however, groundnut and soybean have a yield gap of 40 to 60% of potential yield. Various constraints limiting crop yields in these regions have been highlighted. It is suggested that location-specific integrated approaches would be needed to bridge the yield gap of the predominant crops grown in the target regions