PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF CASTOR (Ricinus communis L.) BASED INTERCROPPING SYSTEMS SHARATH

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Date
2009-07-10
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UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK, BENGALURU
Abstract
Field experiment was conducted at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Babbur Farm, Hiriyur during kharif 2008 to study the castor (cv. DCS-9) based intercropping systems with groundnut (cv. TMV-2), fingermillet (MR-1), chickpea (cv. KAK-2) and vegetable clusterbean (cv. Pusa-Nov-bahar) in 1:3 and 2:4 row proportions along with respective sole crops in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Sole castor produced significantly higher seed yield (1434 kg ha-1) as compared to intercropping systems except paired row system of castor with clusterbean (1417 kg ha-1) and paired row system of castor with groundnut (1400 kg ha-1) which were on par with each other. The growth components like plant height, number of branches plant-1, LAI and total drymatter at harvest and yield components such as number of spikes plant-1, number of capsules spike-1 and spike length were significantly higher in sole castor as compared to intercropping systems but, it was on par with paired row of castor intercropped with clusterbean or groundnut. Castor equivalent yield was significantly higher (2380 kg ha-1) with castor + clusterbean in 2:4 followed by the castor intercropped with clusterbean in 1:3 (2345 kg ha-1) and with groundnut in 2:4 (2136 kg ha-1) row proportions. The land equivalent ratio in castor with clusterbean in 2:4 row proportion was higher as compared to other intercropping and sole cropping treatments. The higher gross return (Rs. 54012, Rs. 49470 and Rs. 49046 ha-1), net return (Rs. 37938, Rs. 33076 and Rs. 32717 ha-1), and B:C ratio (3.36, 3.02 and 3.00) respectively, was recorded with castor intercropped with clusterbean in 2:4 or 1:3 followed by with groundnut in 2:4 row proportion. Thus castor intercropped with clusterbean in 2:4 or 1:3 and with groundnut in 2:4 row proportions appeared promising intercropping systems for the higher yield, economic returns and resource use efficiency.
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