Effect on yield and soil fertility status of summer sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) under sole crop and different inter cropping systems

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out on clay soil during summer season of 2018 at College Farm, N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari to evaluate the Performance of summer sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) under sole crop and different intercropping systems in south Gujarat condition. Total nine treatments viz., T1 sole sorghum, T2 sole sorghum (Paired rows at 30-60 cm), T3 sole sorghum (Paired rows at 30-30-75 cm), T4 sole greengram, T5 sole blackgram, T6 sorghum + greengram (Paired 2:1), T7 sorghum + greengram (Paired 3:2), T8 sorghum + blackgram (Paired 2:1) and T9 sorghum + blackgram (Paired 3:2) were allocated in randomized block design with four replications. The soil of the experimental area was low in available nitrogen (185.26 kg ha-1), high in available phosphorus (31.88 kg ha-1) and potassium (390.41 kg ha-1), slightly alkaline in reaction with normal electrical conductivity. Results revealed that, sole sorghum (T1) recorded significant higher grain yield although it was remained at par with T2, T3 and T6. Among all the treatments, treatment T6 sorghum + greengram (Paired 2:1) recorded significantly higher SEY, which was at par with treatment T7 sorghum + greengram (Paired 3:2). Sorghum + greengram paired at 2:1 (T6) recorded maximum LER (1.31) followed by sorghum and greengram paired at 3:2 (T7), sorghum + blackgram paired at 2:1 (T8) and sorghum + blackgram paired at 3:2 (T9) with LER 1.28, 1.24 and 1.23, respectively.