Effect of integrated crop management practices on root-shoot characteristics, yield and nutrient harvest index of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) under irrigated north Indian Plains

A field experiment was conducted during rainy season of 2017 at experimental farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi under pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp]-wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] cropping system to assess the effect of different integrated crop management (ICM) modules [04 conventional tillage (CT) based: (ICM₁-ICM₄); 04 conservation agriculture (CA) based: (ICM₅-ICM₈); 01 organic agriculture based: (ICM₉)] on root-shoot characteristics, seed yield and nutrient harvest index (NHI) in pigeon pea. The experiment was planned in a randomized block design with 03 replications. The results show that ICM modules (ICM₈, ICM₆, ICM₄, and ICM₂) supplied with 75% NPK through chemical fertilizers + arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) + NPKbiofertilizer (NPK-bf) had an edge over the 100% NPK alone supplied ICM₇, ICM₅, ICM₃, ICM₁ modules with respect to root characteristics. However, branches/plant (22.7) and pigeon pea productivity (1.92 t/ha) were significantly higher under ICM₇ module over ICM₈. Similarly, the 100% NPK supplied ICM modules had an edge over 75% NPK + AMF + NPK-bf supplied ICM modules with respect to number of branches/plant and seed yield owing to balanced supply of plant nutrients readily available to crop. The effect of different ICM modules on nutrient harvest index (NHI) for NPK was found non-significant. In general, the CA based ICM modules showed an edge over CT based ICM modules with respect to root-shoot characteristics, seed yield and NHI. Overall, the CA based modules like ICM₇ and ICM₈ can be recommended to the farmers for enhancing the crop productivity in pigeon pea alone or on pigeon pea-wheat cropping system based in irrigated Indo-Gangetic plains region.