Effects of pigeonpea plant population and row arrangement in sorghum/pigeonpea intercropping

Rao, M R; Willey, R W

Effects of pigeonpea plant population and row arrangement in sorghum/pigeonpea intercropping

1983

Rao, M R | Willey, R W

A sorghum/pigeonpea intercropping experiment carried out for 3 years on a deep Vertisol in India examined the response to five pigeonpea populations in a 150 cm bed and furrow system at three row arrangements per bed: (a) 1 row sorghum : 1 row pigeonpea : 1 row sorghum at 45 cm between rows (SPS); (b) 1 row sorghum : 2 rows pigeonpea : 1 row sorghum at 30 cm between rows (SPPS); and (c) 1 row pigeonpea : 2 rows sorghum : 1 row pigeonpea at 30 cm between rows (PSSP). The distance between outer rows of adjacent beds was 60 cm. Pigeonpea seed yield in the intercropping system responded to plant populations above the sole crop optimum of 40 000 plant/ha but the response for the combined yield of both crops was less because of decreasing sorghum yield. Maximum land equivalent ration and gross monetary returns were at 70 000 plants/ha for the SPS arrangement and at 40 000 plants/ha for the SPPS and PSSP arrangements. The greater number of pigeonpea rows in SPPS and PSSP produced more pigeonpea yield but less sorghum yield; this resulted in a net benefit for the SPPS arrangement though not for the PSSP arrangement. The sorghum intercrop reduced the total branch number in pigeonpea but had little effect on the number of pod-bearing branches. Intercropping also increased the harvest index of pigeonpea because the sorghum suppressed the early vegetative growth but was harvested before the reproductive phase.

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