Evaluation of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.) and mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) cropping system after paddy rice

Garlic bulb yield, plant height, and polar diameter were not significantly affected when cotton was intercropped 40 days after planting garlic. Garlic bulbs were smaller when cotton was planted at 1.0 m row distance compared with 1.5 m row spacing. Seedcotton yield and other agronomic characters did not vary significantly between 1.0 m and 1.5 m row spacing. Significant dry matter [DM] and bean yield reduction on mungbean relayed with cotton were observed in both row spacing due to shading and lesser plant population relative to monoculture mungbean. During the early growth stage of garlic, there was high percentage of dry matter partitioned towards the roots, stem, and leaves. During bulb initiation and formation, bulk of assimilate was distributed into the bulb. In periods when there was high partitioning taking place in the leaves of cotton, there was also tremendous reduction in the dry matter distribution in the roots and slight depression in the stem. Delayed flowering and bolling periods were observed in cotton at 1.0 m row distance. Higher percentage of assimilates were diverted into the stem with mungbean relayed to cotton after harvesting garlic during the early growth stage. There was an increase in DM distributed to the pods in all treatments, which suggests the altered distribution of DM due to shading. Only "tangle top" was prevalent on garlic plants. A low bollworm population was observed with high population of aphids and thrips, coinciding with the reproductive stage of the cotton plants. Thrips attacked both cotton and mungbean. Highest weed biomass was recorded in monoculture garlic because of very low leaf area index. A slight reduction in soil P content and an increase in the salinity of the soil were observed in all treatments. Generally, monocultured plants gained the lowest profit while the highest was obtained from garlic and cotton/mungbean polyculture at 1.5 m row distance of cotton. The inclusion of cotton at 1.0 m row distance into garlic/mung bean cropping sequence, resulted in negative profit