Performance of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea)-based intercropping system

Abstract

A field experiment on intercropplng of in sole groundnut (15.07 qlha) than that of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) with the groundnut in intercropping treatments. castor (Ricinus communis L.) and soybean The average reduction in pod yield due to [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was conducted at castor and soybean intercropping was 33.1 1 the farm of Mahatma Phule Krishi and 12.47% respectively. The reduction was Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, on loamy soil during higher in the castor intercropping than rainy season (kharif) 1991. soybean intercropping. Groundnut (SB XI), castor (VI 9) and The intercropping of soybean had less soybean (MACS 58) were sown dmultane- adverse influence on groundnut, whereas ,. ously on 3 and 4 July 1991 with a basal dose that of castor was more. It might be due to of 20 kg Nlha + 40 kg P,05/ha. Eleven greater shading effect of castor. Similar treatments consisting of 8 intercropping sys- results were reported by Iyemperumal tems and 3 sole crop systems were tried in (1980) and Senthivel et al: (1989). randomized block design with 3 replications The highest groundnut equivalent (16.33 (Table 1). In sole cropping groundnut was qlha) and land-equivalent ratio (1.21) were dibbled at 30 cm x 10 cm spacing, whereas recorded in the treatment of groundnut + in intercropping it was dibbled at 30 cm x soybean sown in 3 : 1 row proportion. 7.5 cm in 3 : 1 and 6 : 2 row proportions and Thus intercropping of groundnut + soy- at 30 cm x 8 cm in 4 : 1 and 8 : 2 row pro- bean in a 3 : 1 row proportion was more portions for maintaining its 100% popula- beneficial. tion (3.3 x 10ha). The intercrops of castor and soybean were dibbled at 30 cm and 10 REFERENCES cm within the rows respectively. lyemperumal, S. 1980. Mixed cropping of pulses in The yield attributes of groundnut except Tamil Nadu. Proceedings Nicltiontrl Symnposi- 100-pod weight, 1 000-kernel weig.ht and urn on Legumes in Intercropping Sy.~terns, held during 6-8 July 1978 at Indian Agricultural Re- shelling (%) were significantly reduced due search Institute, New Dzlhi, pp. 126-1 29. to intercropping with castor and soybean. Senthivel, T., Parameswaran, P., ~ r u m u ~ a m , M. and There was a drastic reduction in pod yield of Ramanathan, T. 1989. An ideal intercropping base crop of groundnut (Table,]). The pod system for rainfed groundnut (Arirchis hypogtreir) in Tamil Nadu. Indian fournicll of Agricultur~cl1 yield was maximum and significantly higher Sciences 59 (7) : 435-437. --- Present address: I All-India~~Co-ordinated Maize Improvement Project, National Agricultural Research Projcct, Sub-rnontane Zone, Shenda Park, Kolhapur, Mnharashtra 416 012