Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Production in Cotton and Pigeonpea Based Intercropping Systems Under Rainfed Ecosystem

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the MARS, University of Agricultural newlineSciences, Dharwad, Karnataka during rainy seasons of 2014 to 2015 to evaluate newlinedifferent conservation agriculture practices on crop productivity, system profitability, newlinesoil properties and resources use efficiency in cotton and pigeonpea based intercropping newlinesystems was laid out in a strip block design consisting of six tillage practices in main newlineplot and five cropping systems in sub-plot replicated thrice. newlineNo tillage with broad bed and furrow (BBF) and crop residues retained on the newlinesurface and reduced tillage with BBF and incorporation of crop residues in newlineintercropping of pigeonpea + soybean recorded significantly higher cotton equivalent newlineyield (3,708 and 3,690 kg ha-1), net returns ( 1,11,580 and 1,10,834 ha-1), B-C ratio newline(4.08 each), water use efficiency (9.66 and 9.64 kg ha-1 mm), production efficiency newline(26.48 and 26.43 kg ha-1 day-1) and energy use efficiency (12.66 and 12.54), newlinerespectively. No tillage with BBF and crop residues retained on the surface in newlinepigeonpea + soybean intercropping system recorded significantly lower bulk density newline(1.22 g/cc), higher aggregate stability (49.09 %), porosity (54.64 %), infiltration rate newline(1.73 mm hr-1), water holding capacity (61.06 %), soil microbial biomass carbon and newlinesoil microbial biomass nitrogen (364.00 and 14.97 mg kg-1 of soil) and reduced tillage newlinewith BBF and incorporation of crop residues in pigeonpea + soybean intercropping newlinesystem recorded significantly higher soil organic carbon (0.64 %), soil organic carbon newlinesequestration (15.39 t ha-1 year-1), soil urease (11.86 and#956;g NH4-N g-1 day-1), newlinedehydrogenase (32.29 and#956;g TPF g-1 day-1) and total phosphatase (174.55 and#956;g PNP g-1 hr-1) newlineactivity. newlineNo tillage with BBF and crop residues retained on the surface and reduced newlinetillage and incorporation of crop residues in pigeonpea + soybean intercropping system newlinewere more productive, profitable, crucial for sustaining productivity and conservation of newlinenatural resources under rainfed farming situations.