SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT AND NITROGEN MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE + GREENGRAM INTERCROPPING
Loading...
Date
2023-11-15
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is categorized as an exhaustive crop based on sufficiently large requirement of the nutrients specially nitrogen. Due to the increasing potential of irrigation pulses production remains as an issue of primary concern. Keeping this in view, a field experiment was carried out at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla during rabi, 2022 on sandy loam soils in texture, low in available nitrogen medium in available phosphorus and available potassium to study “Spatial arrangement and nitrogen management effects on productivity of maize + greengram intercropping”. The experiment was laid out in a Split plot Design comprising five main plots and four sub plots with three replications. The five main treatments comprised M1: Sole Maize, M2: Sole greengram, M3: Normal planting of maize with one row of greengram, M4: Normal planting of maize with two rows of greengram, M5: Paired row planting of maize with three rows of greengram and four sub plot treatments viz., S1: 0 per cent RDN to maize, S2: 50 per cent RDN to maize, S3: 75 per cent RDN to maize, S4: 100 per cent RDN to maize.
Nitrogen was applied as per the treatments, where as the recommended dose of phosphorus and potassium were applied through single super phosphate and murate of potash to both maize and greengram. The overall performance of intercropping system under the influence of intercropping treatments and nitrogen levels was evaluated based on economic return, economic yield (MEY) and intercropping indices.
xv
The outcome of the experimemt revealed that the intercropped maize exhibited distinctive superiority over sole cropping and resulted in enhancing the productive performance of the intercropping system.
Significantly greater values of growth parameters, yield attributes and grain as well as stover yields of maize were recorded under paired row planting of maize with three rows of greengram, which was however on a par with sole maize. The minimum values were recorded under normal planting of maize with one row of greengram.
Among the sub plot comprising N levels, application of 100% RDN to maize recorded significantly higher values of growth parameters followed by the treatment receiving 75% RDN to maize.
The planting geometry displayed significant influence on the performance of greengram as well. The best performance of greengram with respect to growth parameters, yield attributes and yield was manifested under sole cropping followed by normal planting of maize with one row of greengram with respect to plant height, on the other hand the highest drymatter accrual was depicted under normal planting of maize with two rows of greengram. Both intercropping and varied levels of nitrogen exhibited significant yield attributes of greengram.
Paired row planting of maize with three rows of greengram registered significantly higher gross return, net return and cost benefit ratio, which was however found at par with normal planting of maize accomplishing 75% of greengram population. Similar trend was also reflected in maize equivalent yield owing to complementary effect between the two crops.
Similarly, the highest LER and ATER values were recorded under paired row planting of maize with three rows of greengram displaying comparable performance with normal planting of maize blended with two rows of greengram which was calculated from the combined intercrop yield while distinctly more aggresivity was projected under paired row planting of maize with three rows of greengram, which was closely followed by 1:1 and 1:2 row ratios.
The conclusion of this experiment revealed that there is an average need to apply 100% RDN to maize for increasing the production potential of the intercropping system and under the impact of planting pattern i.e., paired row planting of maize accommodating 75% of greengram population that exhibited superiority to other planting patterns and resulted in the highest equivalent yields besides profitable economic return.