Economics of maize + pole bean intercropping system as influenced by different fertilizer levels in southern transition zone of Karnataka

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif season-2017 and 2018 at Agriculture and Horticultural Research Station, Bavikere. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with seven treatments and three replication. Maize is grown in paired row of 75/45 cm × 30 cm while pole bean crop was made to grow besides single row of maize in paired row system with 120 cm × 30 cm. Thereby, the whole system had 55,000 and 27,777 population respectively for maize and pole bean. In this system, application 100 per cent RDF of maize (100:50:25 N, P and K kg ha-1) supplied to both the crops (T1) and application 100 per cent RDF of pole bean (63:100:75 N, P and K kg ha-1) supplied to both the component crops (T2) were tested against, five different combinations of fertilizer levels (150, 125, 100, 75, 50% of RDF of both the crops). Among different fertilizer levels tested, application of 150 per cent RDF of maize and pole bean supplied to both the component crops (244.50:225:150 N, P and K kg ha-1) recorded higher grain (75.21 q ha-1), stover (91.88 q ha-1), cumulative pole bean yield (56.81 ha-1), maize equivalent yield (149.77 q ha-1), gross (₹ 2, 60,001 ha-1) and net returns (₹ 1, 31,285 ha-1). Further it was on par with application of 125 and 100 per cent RDF of maize and pole bean supplied to both the crops. However, the plot receiving 100 per cent RDF of maize and pole bean supplied to both the component crops recorded higher B: C (2.46) followed by 125 per cent RDF of maize and pole bean supplied to both the component crops (2.38).