Scholarlink

<p>Castor is a non-edible, drought-tolerant crop with high demand for its versatile oil. Its wider row spacing and slow initial growth offer an excellent opportunity for intercropping with short-duration legumes. However, region-specific information on suitable tillage and intercropping systems for castor in low-fertility loamy sand soils of dryland areas remains limited, particularly in terms of productivity, soil health and resource-use efficiency. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate appropriate tillage practices in combination with short-duration intercrops to optimize resource utilization and identify economically viable production systems. It was conducted for five years (2019–2023) on loamy sand soils of western Rajasthan. Split-plot design with three replications was employed to assess the effects of conventional tillage (M<sub>1</sub>) and minimum tillage (M<sub>2</sub>) (main plot treatments) in combination with different intercropping systems (S<sub>1</sub>: sole castor, S<sub>2</sub>: castor + mungbean, S<sub>3</sub>: castor + clusterbean and S<sub>4</sub>: castor + mothbean) (sub-plot treatments). On the basis of five years pooled mean, it was revealed that conventional tillage was beneficial for higher system productivity i.e. castor equivalent yield (2.75 t/ha), net returns (Rs. 79862/ha), sustainability (maximum SYI = 0.77), efficient utilization of resources with higher weed suppression. Incorporation of intercrops between two rows of castor did not significantly reduce the castor yield, but sole castor registered the highest seed yield (2.38 t/ha). Among intercrops, castor + mungbean produced additional yield of mungbean which leads to the highest castor equivalent yield (3.06 t/ha), net return (₹95,465/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (3.2). This system also showed highest resource use efficiencies (SYI 0.86, LER 1.44, IER 1.52, MAI ₹29346/ha) and weed suppression (59.9% WSE). Castor + mungbean and castor + clusterbean significantly improved soil fertility, nutrient balance and SOC sequestration (up to 0.19 Mg/ha/year of each), with a strong negative correlation (R² = 0.948) between bulk density and SOC stock. The results highlight the synergistic benefits of legume intercropping with castor for sustainable production in semi-arid regions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Long‑term impact of legume integration and tillage on productivity, sustainability, profitability and soil health of castor‑based intercropping system in Arid Western Rajasthan

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月3日

查看全文
  • Rameti Jangir,
  • Moola Ram,
  • G. Suresh,
  • S. K. Shah,
  • M. Samuel Jeberson,
  • Rekha Kumawat,
  • Ramesh

摘要

Castor is a non-edible, drought-tolerant crop with high demand for its versatile oil. Its wider row spacing and slow initial growth offer an excellent opportunity for intercropping with short-duration legumes. However, region-specific information on suitable tillage and intercropping systems for castor in low-fertility loamy sand soils of dryland areas remains limited, particularly in terms of productivity, soil health and resource-use efficiency. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate appropriate tillage practices in combination with short-duration intercrops to optimize resource utilization and identify economically viable production systems. It was conducted for five years (2019–2023) on loamy sand soils of western Rajasthan. Split-plot design with three replications was employed to assess the effects of conventional tillage (M1) and minimum tillage (M2) (main plot treatments) in combination with different intercropping systems (S1: sole castor, S2: castor + mungbean, S3: castor + clusterbean and S4: castor + mothbean) (sub-plot treatments). On the basis of five years pooled mean, it was revealed that conventional tillage was beneficial for higher system productivity i.e. castor equivalent yield (2.75 t/ha), net returns (Rs. 79862/ha), sustainability (maximum SYI = 0.77), efficient utilization of resources with higher weed suppression. Incorporation of intercrops between two rows of castor did not significantly reduce the castor yield, but sole castor registered the highest seed yield (2.38 t/ha). Among intercrops, castor + mungbean produced additional yield of mungbean which leads to the highest castor equivalent yield (3.06 t/ha), net return (₹95,465/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (3.2). This system also showed highest resource use efficiencies (SYI 0.86, LER 1.44, IER 1.52, MAI ₹29346/ha) and weed suppression (59.9% WSE). Castor + mungbean and castor + clusterbean significantly improved soil fertility, nutrient balance and SOC sequestration (up to 0.19 Mg/ha/year of each), with a strong negative correlation (R² = 0.948) between bulk density and SOC stock. The results highlight the synergistic benefits of legume intercropping with castor for sustainable production in semi-arid regions.

Graphical Abstract