Productivity and Profitability Assessment of Stem Amaranth and Changes in Soil Chemical Properties under Aonla-Based Multistoried Agroforestry

Abstract

Aonla based multistoried agroforestry system could be a suitable model in improving agricultural productivity and profitability, particularly for the resource-poor country like Bangladesh. However, the adoption of multistoried agroforestry is still limited and most of the fruit orchards remain underutilized throughout the year. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of stem amaranth as a lower storey crop and assess the changes in soil chemical properties under aonla based multistoried agroforestry system (MAFs). The experiment was performed at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur, Bangladesh throughout the time from April 2021 to June 2021, following a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. There were four treatments as follows: T1 = Aonla + carambola + lemon + stem amaranth, T2 = Aonla + lemon + stem amaranth, T3 = Aonla + stem amaranth, and T4 = Sole stem amaranth. Results demonstrated that agroforestry systems have a significant effect on the yield of stem amaranth, where sole cropping of stem amaranth (T4) and aonla + stem amaranth (T3) provided the maximum yields. In spite of yield reduction in stem amaranth by 6.8%, 31.2%, and 41.1% under T3, T2, and T1 systems, respectively, compared to the sole cropping; agroforestry systems have proven their superiority in terms of net return and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) over the sole cropping of stem amaranth. Moreover, soil fertility parameters like organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium were changed in a positive direction under agroforestry practices. The aforementioned findings indicate that stem amaranth cultivation with aonla based MAFs is a promising approach to enhance system’s productivity, profitability and soil fertility.