Effect of Tillage Practices on Maize Based Intercropping in Light Textured Soils of Western Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted on maize during Spring season of 2012 in sandy loam soil at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, (Uttar Pradesh),.The experiment was aimed to evalute the effect of tillage practices on maize based intercropping on crop and water productivity in light textured soil. The experiment comprising nine treatments was laid out in Randomized Block Design with four replications. The treatments were consisted of sole maize on wide raised bed (T1); sole maize on narrow raised bed (T2); sole maize on flat bed (T3) ; sole mungbean on wide raised bed(T4); sole mungbean on narrow raised bed (T5) ; sole mungbean on flat bed (T6); maize on wide raised bed + mungbean intercropping (T7); maize on narrow raised bed+ mungbean intercropping (Ta) and maize on flat bed+ mungbean intercropping (T9),respectively. In different tillage practices with raised planting maize on wide raised beds+mungbean intercropping was perform much effiCient than recommended practice of planting i.e. sole maize on flat beds and other tillage practices in terms of growth parameters, yield attributes, nutrient uptake, productivity of maize and mungbean crops and water productivity. The economic analysis of the system revealed that, intercropping of maize with mungbean on wide raised beds recorded higher gross returns (Rs. 69473.30/ha), net returns (Rs. 55973.30/ha) and B:C ratio (4.14). Based on the results it may be concluded that growing of maize on wide raised beds+mungbean intercropping is found beneficial.