Vol. 10 No. 1
Growth, yield and advantages of green gram – sesame intercropping under different moisture regimes in new alluvial zone of West Bengal
Author(s): A. M. PUSTE, T. K. MANDAL, S. K. GUNRI, T. S. DEVI AND B. R. PRAMANIK
Abstract: A field experiment was conducted at the university research farm during two consecutive summer seasons on the growth, yield and intercropping advantages of green gram (Vigna radiata Wilczek.) - sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under different moisture regimes in new alluvial zone of West Bengal. Experiment was laid out in split-plot design, viz. three levels of irrigation [I0 - no irrigation, I1 - one irrigation at 30 DAS (days after sowing) and I2 - two irrigations at 30 and 50 DAS] as main plot and seven cropping systems, comprised of sole and intercropping of inoculated (with Rhizobium) and uninoculated green gram with sesame sown in lines at 25 cm apart maintained at 2:2 and 3:3 row ratio [C1 - C7], considered as sub-plot treatments. Result reveals that growth, yield attributes and yield of both the crops were influenced significantly by the levels of irrigation in most cases, and maximum seed yield of both green gram (0.836 t ha-1) and sesame (0.536 t ha-1) was exhibited with two irrigations applied at 30 and 50 DAS. Among the sole and intercropping systems, highest seed yield of sesame (0.673 t ha-1) and green gram (1.094 t ha-1) was obtained when these were sown as sole with Rhizobium inoculation of green gram. Moreover, highest and lowest grain yield was obtained from the combination of 3:3 row ratio of inoculated green gram (0.708 t ha-1) + sesame (0.478 t ha-1) and 2:2 uninoculated green gram (0.567 t ha-1) + sesame (0.411 t ha-1), respectively. Among the different intercropping systems, green gram with Rhizobium inoculation + sesame maintained in row arrangement of 3:3 ratio exhibited greater advantages of competitive functions of intercropping like aggresivity, ± 0.12; relative crowding coefficient, 5.22; land equivalent ratio, 1.36 and monetary advantages, INR 9,982 ha-1, respectively than those of other cropping systems.
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