Effect of Intercropping System on Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

A field experiment was conducted at Agriculture Research Farm, Rabindranath Tagore University, Raisen, Madhya Pradesh during rabi season 2021-22 and 2022-23. The soil of the experimental field was slightly alkaline in nature, pH was 7.72, moderately alkyl in EC 0.1.31 (dSm^-1) and low organic carbon 0.41 (%) as well as the initial soil fertility of the experimental field was low in available nitrogen 209.20 kg ha^-1, Slightly low in available phosphorus 13.07 kg ha^-1 and low in available potassium 173.76 kg ha^-1. The field experiment was laid out in a Split Plot design with three replications.

The data indicated a significant increase in growth parameters, such as initial plant stand after thinning (000 ha^-1), final plant stand at maturity (000 ha^-1), plant height (cm) and number of branches per plant during both years of the experiment through intercropping (chickpea + linseed) with improved cultivation practices. A notable improvement was also observed in yield attributes, including the number of pods per plant, 1000-seed weight (g), as well as grain, straw, and biological yields. Additionally, the chickpea equivalent seed yield (q ha^-1) showed significant gains due to intercropping with these cultural practices. The highest grain yield was recorded in the chickpea + linseed (5:1) system, which outperformed other intercropping methods, except for the sole crops of chickpea or linseed, across both years. The results showed that the chickpea + linseed (5:1) row ratio provided the highest pooled chickpea equivalent yield (19.21 q ha^-1).