Scaling productivity and farm income through soybean based inter-and sequential cropping under rainfed Central India with improved agro-technologies

Soybean {Glycine max (L.) Merr.} has dominated in Central India especially Madhya Pradesh because of more or less favourable growing conditions compatible with climate and soil condition. However, the crop is not becoming favourite to farmers because of several reasons including nonavailability of quality seed of improved varieties, low productivity of crop, abiotic stresses (such as waterlogging, nutrient unavailability etc), biotic stresses (like, pests and diseases, and weeds etc) and availability of other alternate/ remunerative crop(s). Therefore, scaling crop/cropping system productivity based on soybean besides addressing soil erosion issues and improving rainfall-use efficiency, there is an urgent need for practicing improved agronomy with better land configuration and appropriate crop combination including intercropping and other appropriate agro-technologies. Short duration pigeonpea, urdbean and some compatible cereals are found to be most promising and remunerative if selection of suitable varieties are made and necessary crop environment is altered through modification in crop management practices within existing sowing/crop windows. Thus, extensive studies were made during 2014-16 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Regional Station, Bhopal on a clay loam soils to screen the crops/ varieties for their performance and adoption in soybean lentil cropping system along with other improved agrotechnologies. Following appropriate land configuration (broad bed and furrow, BBF) in the heavy soils of Central India, soybean productivity could be enhanced considerably (with BBF vis-à-vis flat planting). It was observed that significant enhancement in crop productivity to the tune of 19.3, 16.4, 20.8 and 19.0 per cent in soybean, lentil, and total productivity during rainy season and whole of the year, respectively were recorded in BBF compared to flat planting during initial year of experimentation. During second year of experimentation, BBF again had distinct advantages for both crops. Again, significant enhancement in crop productivity to the tune of 19.2, 16.6, 18.5 and 16.7 per cent in soybean, lentil, and total productivity during rainy season and across the year, respectively were recorded under BBF over flat planting. Similarly, on intercropping with pulses/ cereal/oilseed, the study revealed that significantly higher crop/cropping system productivities and returns were observed with soybean + pigeonpea -lentil followed by soybean + urdbean -lentil in Central India. Following use of suitable varieties and best management practices (involving soybean + pigeonpea -lentil), higher system productivity, net return and BCR could be realized to the extent of 4691 kg/ha (in terms of soybean equivalent yield), INR 97,238/ha and 4.26, respectively. Because of more often scanty rainfall and its uneven distribution especially during reproductive stage of (winter season pulses, like) lentil, supplementary irrigation once at pod development could be useful in enhancing its productivity.