Studies on inter-cropping green manures with grain legumes in the pre-rice season and its effect on rice

Field investigations were carried out to assess the possibility of including green manure crops with grain legumes in the pre-rice season and to study their effect on the succeeding rice. Two green manures, Sesbania aculeata and Sesbania rostrata were inter-cropped with greengram and redgram and incorporated to the follow up rice crop treated with three levels of N viz., 0, 50 and 100 kg N ha-1. Results indicated that loss in yield of grain legumes due to intercropping was well compensated by the green manure contribution to the succeeding rice. Rice yield obtained with incorporation of S. rostrata and redgram with 50 kg N ha-1 was higher than that obtained with 100 kg N ha' alone thus resulting in a saving of 50 kg of fertiliser N ha-1.