Residual effect of maize (Zea mays) + blackgram (Vigna mungo) intercropping on growth, factor productivity and resource-use efficiency of succeeding wheat (Triticum aestivum) under integrated crop management

Abstract

A 2-year field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2019–20 and 2020–21 at the ICAR– Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study residual effect of the preceding blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) intercropped maize (Zea mays L.) on succeeding wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth, factory productivity, resource-use efficiency, and yields. The treatments consisting of 9 integrated crop management (ICM) variants allotted to mainplots and 2 cropping systems (maize–wheat; maize+blackgram–wheat) in subplots, were replicated thrice in a split-plot design. Different combinations of tillage, crop-establishment patterns, integrated nutrient, weed, pest, and disease management were used to create the integrated crop management (ICM) treatments. The conservation agriculture (CA) embedded ICM, viz. ICM₇ , Zero-till + Permanent raised beds + maize crop-residue retention at 3 t/ha + 100% RDF + Glypho-PP fb Sulf+Met at PoE + 4 irrigations of 45 mm each + Need-based IDM/ IPM recorded significantly higher growth (99.9 cm), dry-matter accumulation (1127 g/m²), growth indices (crop growth rate 18.1 g/m² /day), production (37.5 kg/ha/day)-, monetary (627.8 INR/ha/day)-efficiencies, irrigation water productivity (2.57 kg/m³) and wheat grain yield (5.57 t/ha). While conventional tillage (CT)-based treatments recorded significantly higher partial factor productivity (57.2, 265.8, 206.6 kg grain/kg of applied N, P and K respectively). The succeeding wheat crop benefited significantly from the residual effect of preceding blackgram intercropping in terms of growth, resource-use efficiency (irrigation water productivity, 2.07 kg/m³) and productivity (5.16 t/ha). The factor productivity, resource-use efficiency, grain yield of wheat under CA-based ICM can be enhanced by preceding blackgram + maize intercropping.