Production Potential and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Agrihorticulture Agroforestry Systems in Northeast India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tree growth, crop yield and cost benefit analysis of guava (Psidum guajava cv. Allahabad safeda) and Assam lemon (Citrus lemon cv. Local) based agrihorticulture agroforestry system (AFS) was analyzed in a split plot experiment on acid alfisol under rainfed conditions at ICAR Research farm, Umiam, Meghalaya, India. Three rice varieties, RCPL-1-24, RCPL-1-25 and RCPL-1-29, were intercropped with guava and Assam lemon fruit trees. While guava plants attained a height growth of 4.30 m, the Citrus lemon attained a height of 1.94 m, after 5 years of transplantation. The canopy spread was 3.60 and 2.33 m, respectively, for guava and Assam lemon. Average grain yield and total yield of all the three rice varieties was significantly (P = 0.05) higher in control plots than in guava and Assam lemon blocks, but no significant differences were obtained in the productivity of rice varieties under guava and Assam lemon. On average, RCPL-1-24 exhibited maximum grain yield (42.70 q/ha in guava block and 41.66 q/ha in Assam lemon) as compared to other rice varieties. Total biomass production was also highest in RCPL-1-24 upland rice under guava and Assam lemon. Fruit yield of guava and Assam lemon was, respectively, 70.62 q/ha and 50.12 q/ha. The average monetary input was Rs. 25,440 (US$ 553.00), Rs. 24,650 (US$ 536.00) and Rs. 21,440 (US$ 466.00) to guava block, Assam lemon block and control plots, respectively. The net monetary benefit was significantly (P = 0.05) higher in tree-based systems than the control. Between species, the guava based system showed significantly (P = 0.05) higher net benefit than the Assam lemon based system. On average, net monetary benefit was Rs. 20,610/ha (US$ 448.00) to guava based AFS, followed by Assam lemon based AFS (Rs. 13,787.60/ha or US$ 300.00), irrespective of rice varieties. Thus the guava and Assam lemon based agrihorticultural AFS exhibited, respectively, 2.96 and 1.98-fold higher net return as compared to control. Agrihorticulture AFS was found most suitable to the rainfed agricultural system of Meghalaya. The implications of the results are discussed in the context of suitability of the fruit tree species and their usefulness in agroforestry systems.