Response of integrated nutrient management on productivity and nutrient uptake of rainfed pigeonpea based intercropping systems

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2013-14 and 2014-15 at Agronomy Research Farm, Narendra Deva University of Agricultural and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh on silty loam soils to study the response of integrated nutrient management on productivity and nutrient uptake of rainfed pigeonpea based intercropping systems. The treatments comprised of three intercropping systems of pigeonpea sole, pigeonpea + urdbean (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) and pigeonpea + maize (Zea mays L.) with different integrated nutrient management levels. On the basis of two years results, pigeonpea + black gram intercropping system recorded significantly higher pigeonpea seed yield (18.65 and 15.82 q/ha), pigeonpea equivalent yield (25.35 and 23.47 q/ha), B:C ratio (2.18 and 2.20, and also gave the total uptake of N, P, K, Zn and Fe by plant, respectively over pigeonpea sole and pigeonpea + maize intercropping system during both year. Among the INM practices, application of RDF+PSB+ Rhizobium + FYM @ 3 t/ha + 'Harit-vardan' @ 5 kg/ha recorded significantly higher pigeonpea seed yield (18.65 and 15.82 q/ha), pigeonpea equivalent yield (25.35 and 23.47 q/ha), B:C ratio (2.18 and 2.20, and total uptake of N, P, K, Zn and Fe by plant, respectively over RDF.