Identification of suitable vegetable based cropping sequences in relation to economic yield and profitability

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out for two years 2010-11 and 2011-12 at Horticultural Farm, BAU, Ranchi. The experiment was laid out in RBD with three replications that comprised of nine cropping sequences. The FYM added in vegetable crops was @ 20t/ha whereas, in cereal crops it was @ 5t/ha.The soil was poor in fertility with acidic in reaction (pH 5.56) and sandy loam in texture, low in organic carbon (3.70 g/kg), available N (238.34 kg/ha), B (0.43 ppm) and medium in available P (49.84 kg/ha), K (157.92 kg/ha), S (15.01 kg/ha) and Zn (1.06 ppm).The rice equivalent yield was obtained highest in sponge gourd-rice-broccoli (144.40 q/ha) sequence and was at par with ridge gourd-cowpea-Tomato (143.34 q/ha) and sponge gourd-brinjal-capsicum (124.89 q/ha) sequences. The gross return (Rs/ha), net return (Rs/ha) and benefit: cost ratio differed significantly in both the years of experimentation and also in pooled analysis. The highest net return and benefit cost ratio was obtained in sponge gourd-rice-broccoli sequence with 99427.00 Rs/ha and 3.26, respectively at the end of two years and was followed by ridge gourd-cowpea-tomato (86094.61 Rs/ha and 2.41, respectively) and sponge gourd-rice-potato (66491.16 Rs/ha and 2.46, respectively) sequences.