Effect of oleiferous brassicas, their staggered sowing and fertility levels on potato (Solanum tuberosum) performance in potato based intercropping systems

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) seasons of 1995 97 to assess the performance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in potato based intercropping systems (sole potato and 6 intercropping systems created by intercropping 3 Brassica spp. at the time of potato planting and 20 days after potato planting in 3:l replacement series) under 5 fertility levels (No, ,N, N15,, N, S,, and N, S, kg/ha). lrrespective of staggered sowing, intercrop caused significant reduction in leaf area index (LA ), tuberslhill, proportion of A grade tubers, tuber yield and green tubers (%) when compared with sole crop of potato, whereas plant height and shootslhill remained unaffected. Among the intercropping systems, potato staggeredly sown Brassica carinata A. Braun showed its superiority by recording relatively higher values of growth and yield attributes, yield of A grade tubers and tuber yieldlha and minimum value of green tubers(%). lrrespective of time of sowing, Brassica carinata and its system with potato recorded the highest seed yield and tuber equivalent respectively. Nitrogen application induced significant increase in number of shoots and tuberslhill only up to 75 kg Nlha, whereas plant height, LAI, yield of A and B grade tubers and tuber, seed and tuber equivalent yielddha recorded significant increase up to 150 kg Nlha. Application N S caused perceptible increase in the seed yield, B grade tubers and tuber equivalent yield over N alone.