Multiple Cropping with Short Duration Pulses

Availability of short duration varieties of pulses and other grain legumes have made ‘multiple cropping in series’ and ‘parallel multiple cropping’ possible. Multiple cropping in series is possible by growing mung, urd or cowpea in the spring or summer season after harvest of rabi crop and before planting of kharif crop. Only those varieties that are specially suited for this season should be grown. Parallel multiple cropping with short duration pulses and grain legumes is possible in crops like arhar, maize, sugarcane and fodder crops. Triple cropping is possible with Arhar-wheat-mung rotation, when a variety of Arhar maturing in 125–130 days (UPA-120) is selected. This is more productive and more remunerative than ‘maize-wheat’ rotation. Incorporation of a grain legume in rotation can lead to nitrogen residues equivalent to about 30 kg. of fertilizer nitrogen for subsequent wheat.