PRODUCTION POTENTIAL AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF FOOD-FORAGE BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS UNDER IRRIGATION
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Date
2016
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Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur
Abstract
The present investigation entitled “Production potential and economic viability of food-forage based cropping systems under irrigation” was carried out during 2014-15 and 2015-16 on sandy clay loam soils of Dryland Farm, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati campus of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh.
The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications, consisting of ten food-forage based cropping systems viz., T1 - Napier bajra hybrid –Napier bajra hybrid – Napier bajra hybrid, T2 - Jowar (F) – Baby corn – Cowpea (F), T3 - Groundnut – Maize – Greengram, T4 - Maize – Lucerne – Lucerne, T5 - Groundnut – Maize (F) – Cowpea, T6 - Groundnut – Sweet corn – Greengram, T7 - Groundnut – Sweet corn – Cowpea , T8 - Groundnut – Baby corn – Greengram, T9 - Groundnut – Baby corn – Cowpea and T10 - Groundnut – Oat (F) – Greengram.
Napier bajra hybrid as perennial fodder (T1) recorded higher system productivity during both the years of study. During kharif, groundnut in T3, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, and T10 cropping systems were comparable in recording higher equivalent yield of napier bajra and groundnut. Sweet corn as rabi component crop in T6 and T7 were on par in obtaining higher equivalent yield of napier bajra and groundnut. During summer, higher equivalent yield of napier bajra and groundnut was recorded with lucerne in T4 during both the years of experiment. Higher equivalent yield of napier bajra and groundnut was obtained with groundnut – sweet corn – greengram (T6) and was statistically on par with groundnut – sweet corn – cowpea (T7) during both the years of study.
Among the component crops of kharif, groundnut crop of T3 and T10 cropping systems recorded higher value of sustainability yield index (SYI). Higher value of SYI was associated with sweet corn (T6 and T7) during rabi. Lucerne of T4 recorded maximum value of SYI during summer. T6 (groundnut – sweet corn – greengram) recorded higher SYI during both the years of investigation.
Napier bajra hybrid as a component crop of T1 produced higher dry matter during kharif and summer. Accrual of higher dry matter was associated with fodder maize of T5 in rabi. T1 system (napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid) was superior in registering higher dry matter during both the years of experiment.
During kharif, napier bajra hybrid in T1 occupied higher duration in the field. Maize as component crop of T3 in rabi recorded higher duration while, it was noticed with napier bajra hybrid in T1 during summer. The cropping system napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid (T1) occupied higher duration (higher land use efficiency) in the field during both the years of study.
Groundnut – sweet corn – greengram (T6) recorded significantly higher system efficiency in terms of both napier and groundnut equivalent yield. Both T6 (groundnut – sweet corn – greengram) and T7 (groundnut – sweet corn – cowpea) systems were on par in registering higher production efficiency in terms of groundnut equivalent yield during both the years of investigation.
Napier bajra hybrid (T1) and groundnut in T3, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9 and T10 cropping systems and maize of T3 required more number of irrigations during kharif. Maize as rabi component crop in T4 required more number of irrigations over other component crops tried. In summer more number of irrigations were required by cowpea (T5, T7 and T9) during the first year while, napier bajra hybrid in T1 received more number of irrigations during second year of study. More number of irrigations were required by groundnut – maize – greengram (T3) during the first year of study while, T1 (napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid – napier bajra hybrid) in second year.
Among the component crops tested during kharif, fodder jowar in T2 recorded higher water productivity. Fodder maize of T5 registered maximum water productivity during rabi. Higher water productivity was noticed with napier bajra hybrid (T1) in summer. T2 (jowar (F) – baby corn – cowpea (F)) recorded higher water productivity during both the years of study.
Maize of T4 required higher man-days during kharif over rest of the component crops tested. Maize in T3 required higher man days in rabi. Greengram (T3, T6, T8 and T10) required maximum man days during summer. T3 system required higher total man days during the first year whereas, T2 system required maximum man days in second year of experimentation.
Among the component crops during kharif, groundnut (T3, T5, T7, T6, T7, T8, T9, and T10 systems) recorded higher crude protein content but, higher crude protein yield was noticed with napier bajra hybrid of T1. Lucerne of T4 recorded higher crude protein content and yield during both rabi and summer. T1 system recorded significantly higher crude protein yield during both the years of study.
During both the years of investigation, among the component crops tested, maize of T4 cropping system recorded higher crude fibre content during kharif. Maximum crude fibre content was noticed with maize of T3 during rabi. Napier bajra hybrid in T1 obtained higher crude fibre content during summer.
In both the years of study, groundnut (T5, T3, T6, T7, T8, T9 and T10 cropping systems), sweet corn (T6 and T7) and lucerne (T4) realized higher monetary returns and B:C ratio during kharif, rabi and summer, respectively. T6 and T7 systems were comparable with each other in recording higher net and gross returns, benefit-cost ratio, monetary returns use efficiency and system profitability during both the years of experimentation. During kharif, napier bajra hybrid as a component crop of T1 recorded higher input and output energy but, higher energy balance, energy ratio and energy productivity were registered with fodder jowar of T2. Higher energy input was recorded with sweet corn (T7 and T6) among the component crops tested during rabi while, higher energy output and energy balance were recorded with baby corn of T2, T8 and T9 cropping systems. Napier bajra hybrid in T1 during summer, recorded the highest input energy, output energy and energy balance whereas, lucerne of T4 registered higher energy ratio and energy productivity during both the years of experiment.
Among the cropping systems tested during the two years of study, higher total input energy and energy output recorded with T1, while T2 recorded the highest energy balance, energy ratio and energy productivity. Higher uptake of nitrogen was recorded with maize of T4 during kharif. Sweet corn (T7 and T6) recorded higher nitrogen uptake during rabi while, it was registered with fodder cowpea of T2 during summer. T6 and T7 cropping systems were on par in recording higher nitrogen uptake during both the years of study.
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In kharif, maize in T4 foraged higher phosphorus. Lucerne of T4 recorded higher uptake of phosphorus during rabi. Higher uptake of phosphorus was registered with lucerne of T4 during summer. Among the food-forage cropping systems, maize – lucerne – lucerne (T4) recorded higher phosphorus uptake during both the years of experiment.
Higher uptake of potassium was associated with napier bajra hybrid in T1 during kharif. Lucerne of T4 recorded higher uptake of potassium during rabi whereas, in summer, higher potassium uptake was observed with fodder cowpea of T2. In both the years of experiment T4 cropping system recorded significantly the highest uptake of potassium. Different food-forage based cropping systems tried under the study did not exert any significant variation on soil bulk density, pH at the end of second year of the experiment.
The cropping systems tested during the two years significantly influenced the electrical conductivity and organic carbon in soil after completion of cropping cycle. Lower electrical conductivity and higher organic carbon were observed in soil after harvest of T4 system during both the years of investigation.
Cropping systems did not exert any significant effect on soil available nitrogen and phosphorus except on available potassium during the first year of study. Whereas, significant effect on all the available nutrients was observed during second year. Higher availability of nitrogen and phosphorus was noticed under T4 cropping system. While, available potassium was higher with T8 cropping system. Net gain in soil available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to initial soil status was observed under each cropping system at the end of two years of investigation except under T1 and T4 systems where net loss in soil available potassium over initial status was recorded during both the years of experiment.
From the above results, it can be concluded that intensification of food cropping systems with fodder crops may enhance the productivity, profitability, sustainability, employment generation and soil fertility to maximum extent. Based on production efficiencies and monetary returns groundnut – sweet corn – greengram/cowpea cropping system was found to be more remunerative, economically viable, profitable and sustainable foodforage based system under irrigation for Southern Agro-Climatic Zone of Andhra Pradesh closely followed by groundnut – baby corn – greengram/ cowpea over other cropping systems.
Description
D5325
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