Productivity, Water Use and Energy Profitability of Staggered Maize–Legume Intercropping in the Eastern Himalayan Region of India

Abstract

In eastern Himalayan region, growers cultivate many crops per unit area without following definite row proportions which resulted in lower productivity. Use of recent modern technologies in undulated topography is not feasible. Therefore, locally available resources were utilized for better water use, higher productivity and improved energy profitability in the maize–legume intercropping system. The studies were conducted at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Basar, Arunachal Pradesh during the years 2010 and 2011. Maize, soybean and groundnut were planted solitary, and soybean and groundnut were intercropped with maize at 1:1, 1:2 and 1:5 row proportions. The maize grain yield was highest with solitary maize, but, intercrop yield was improved with higher row proportions. Maize equivalent yield and per day productivity were highest with 1:5 of maize–groundnut. Higher row proportion of legumes improved the water use but it was highest with solitary soybean (911.1 mm). The improvement of water use efficiency by 83.2 %, harvest monetary benefit by 87.5 %, benefit cost ratio by 92.3 % and energy productivity by 38.5 % with 1:5 of maize–groundnut over solitary maize. The energy input and output efficiency was higher with 1:2 of maize–groundnut, but output and net energy were superior under 1:2 of maize–soybean. The soil moisture content and solar radiation interception were 24.1 and 37.8 % which were improved with solitary soybean over solitary maize. Intercropping practices tender numerous advantages but improved understanding of the ecological mechanisms associated with intended row arrangement, including additional advantage of crop yield and water use, are needed to augment the benefit.