Performance of Pigeqnpea cultivars in fotercropping system under Rainfed conditions in Vertisols

A field experiment was carried out for two years during kharif 2002 and 2003 at Agricultural Research Station, Warangal on vertisol (black soil) to know the influence of pigeonpea cultivars on their productivity in intercropping system under rainfed conditions. Treatments comprising of four cultivars (WRG-53, WRG-27, CORG-9701 and WRG-56) and two intercrops (Greengram and Blackgram) were laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Among eight intercropping systems; WRG-53 and WRG-27 either with greengram or black gram have produced significantly higher yields of pigeonpea, greengram, blackgram and pigeonpea equivalent yield as compared to all other systems during both the years. Significantly higher LER, protein yield, net returns and BCR were observed in the above intercropping systems with WRG-53 followed by WRG-27 and WRG-56. The performance of WRG-53 and WRG-27 were at par when intercropped with greengram or blackgram, followed by WRG-56 in producing the net returns, BCR, protein yield and LER. It was also observed that incidence of pod borer and crop damage was minimum (5.1%), when WRG-53 was intercropped with greengram compared to CORG-9701 (10.0%) intercropped with greengram.