Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.)] based intercropping systemsunder rainfed condition

A field experiment was undertaken to study pearl millet based intercropping systems with important legumes under rainfed conditions during the kharif season 2014, at College of Agriculture, Dhule, Maharashtra. The yield contributing characters of pearl millet included higher ear head length (25.53 cm), ear head girth (11.16 cm), number of ear head plant⁻¹ (2.63), weight of grain earhead⁻¹ (20.03 g), 1000 seed weight (12.16 g), grain yield plant⁻¹ (38.53 g), grain yield ha⁻¹ (31.13 q ha⁻¹) and straw yield ha⁻¹ (67.21 q) in sole pearl millet. Whereas, pearl millet + groundnut (1: 2), Pearl millet + soybean (1: 2) and pearl millet + black gram (1: 2) recorded higher values for number of dry pods plant⁻¹, seed/dry pods yield plant⁻¹, 100 seed weight, seed/dry pods yield ha⁻¹ and haulm/straw yield ha⁻¹. In intercropping systems, these yield contributing characters of pearl millet were significantly higher with the treatment of pearl millet + soybean (1: 1 row ratio) than other treatments.