Influence of FYM and vermicompost on pearl millet based intercropping in semi arid region of Rajasthan

Abstract

Pearl millet is a nutritious grain widely grown in India, especially in Rajasthan, due to its resilience to poor soil and arid conditions. To improve yield sustainably, intercropping pearl millet with legumes is an emerging strategy. Since legumes can partially meet pearl millet's nutritional requirements, they create opportunities for using organic nutrient sources. Utilizing organic sources of nutrients is essential for sustaining long-term productivity in these intercropping systems without harming the ecosystem. In the light of above facts, a field experiment was conducted during kharif season 2022 at instructional farm, Department of Agronomy, SKNCOA, Jobner, Rajasthan (26˚05' N latitude, 75˚20' E longitude and at an altitude of 427 m above mean sea level). The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four main plot treatments (intercropping) and six sub plot treatments (organic amendments) were replicated thrice. The results revealed that the grain yield of PM was 11%, 20.62% and 26.20% superior over PM+CB, PM+MB and PM+CP, respectively while among organic amendments the significantly higher grain yield was obtained FYM+VC (1:1) which was at par with FYM+VC (1:3). Similar trend was observed in stover and biological yield. Therefore, it can be concluded that the PM when supplemented with FYM+VC in equal proportions noted significantly higher yield and yield attributes compared to other treatment combinations in semi arid regions of Rajasthan.