Intercropping with ragi in Karnataka

Intercropping with ragi in Karnataka

Ramanujam, S. Book author
Baldev, B. Book author

New Delhi Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding India

1980

p.130-135

SB203.R3

In the drylands of southern Karnataka, finer millet is the most important food crop. Traditionally, finer millet has been grown as a mixed crop with other component crops like fodder sorghum (jowar), field beans, castor, pigeonpea, niger etc., either in a fixed space adjustment or mixed together. With a close row space planting as commonly adopted in finer millet there is very little scope for intercropping without reduction in the yield of the main crop. Several experiments conducted in the dryland agriculture project, Bangalore and the AICRP on Millets indicated that most of the traditional intercropping systems with finer millet did not result in higher monetary returns than sole crop. Widening the row distance upto 45 cm did not reduce the grain yield of finger millet; insertion of an intercrop reduced the yield. The monetary loss due to reduced yield of finer millet was not compensated by additional yield of the intercrop. It is suggested that long duration varieties of pigeonpea may be useful for intercropping in finger millet. Whenever short duration pulses like cowpea, soybean or blackgram are to be used, they have to be erect type which will not forth unnecessary vegetative growth, when the base crop receives additional nitrogen. [AS]

Legumes in intercropping systems; Proceedings of

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