General description of experimental site

A farmer’s field plot experiment with the traditional cropping cycle was conducted during April 2003 to May 2006 on rainfed terraced farms in the Langasu–Uttaron village of Chamoli district in the Garhwal Himalaya (30° 17.368′ N latitude and 77° 16.868′ E longitude). Rainfed cultivated land is mainly on sloping land where irrigation facilities are not available and thus crop cultivation is done using moisture input from rain. Village agricultural land is divide two almost equal halves, “Mulla Sar” below and “Malla Sar” above clustered dwellings. Traditionally, one of these halves is put to fallow in one winter season over two years. Typical cropping sequence in a Sar is: kharif crop (first crop season)—rabi crop (second crop season)—kharif crop (third crop season)—fallow. Thus, second rabi season (fourth crop season) is put to fallow (Chandra 2007; Chandra et al. 2010a, b, 2011a; b).

The parent soil material is represented by feldspathic quartz schist, quartz muscovite schist and chlorite schist and can be classified as Dystric cambisol according to FAO soil classification system (Semwal and Maikhuri 1996). Farmers generally apply FYM @ 30–35 t/ha during first kharif for growing rice, 12–16 t/ha during first rabi for growing wheat and no FYM for growing pulses during second kharif (Chandra et al. 2011a, b; Dinakaran et al. 2019). Daily rainfall (mm), relative humidity (%), minimum and maximum atmospheric temperature and soil temperature during study period were recorded with help of rain gauge, humidity meter and thermometers. Barring April, November and December, the study area did not suffer from moisture stress as it received sufficient rains in all other months (Figs. 1, ​,22).

Monthly rainfall (mm) and relative humidity (%) at village Langasu-Uttaron, Chamoli district, Garhwal Himalaya, India

Minimum and maximum atmospheric temperature and soil temperature (°C) during study period at village Langasu-Uttaron, Chamoli district, Garhwal Himalaya, India