Effect of intercropping systems on growth, yield, fruit quality and leaf nutrient status of mango under rainfed situation.
Swain S. C., Sahoo S. C., Mishra P. J.
Author Affiliation: College of Agriculture, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi (Odisha), India.
International Journal of Agricultural Sciences 8 : 174-178
Abstract : An intercropping experiment comprised of nine treatments such as mango ginger, turmeric, tomato, cowpea, French bean, ragi, niger, upland paddy and control (without intercrop) was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications to assess the effect of various intercrops on the performance of mango in the rainfed uplands of Odisha. The results of the study revealed that the growth of mango plants was appreciably influenced by the intercropping systems tried in the study which was evident from the incremental growth measured in terms of height, girth, canopy area and shoot growth of the concerned trees. Among different intercropping systems tried, mango+guava+cowpea exhibited better performance which has been reflected in the form of panicle production, fruit retention, fruit weight and fruit yield of mango closely followed by mango+guava+French bean system. The mango plants, under study, however, did not exhibit any kind of variation in quality parameters such as TSS and acidity in fruits. The leaf analysis result after completion of the study revealed that the N and P content of mango leaf were found to be maximum under mango+guava+cowpea intercropping system whereas the K content was estimated maximum in the mango+guava+French bean system.