Potential Productivity and Yield Gap of Selected Crops in the Rainfed Regions of India,

Before any improvements to crop management practices are made, it is useful to know the potential yield of the crop in the region of interest, and the gap between the potential yield and the actual yield obtained by the growers. This analysis helps to know the major factors causing the difference between the actual and the attainable yield for a given site. Under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported project on integrated watershed management we carried out such analysis for selected crops predominantly grown in the regions where the project is operational. We used CROPGRO-soybean model to determine the yield potential (water-limited yields) and yield gap of soybean crop for several locations in India. For northeastern Thailand and northern Vietnam we compared the experimental yields obtained at the research farms with the farmers ’ current crop yields in the region to estimate the yield gaps. For the eleven selected sites in India, the potential yield of soybean ranged from 1249 to 3050 kg ha-1 whereas the observed yields ranged from 570 to 1120 kg h