Growth and yield performance of black gram (Vigna mungo L.) under malabar neem (Melia dubia) plantations in western zone of Tamil Nadu

Black gram (Vigna mungo. L) is one of the most cultivated legume pulse crop with high nutritive value and Malabar neem (Melia dubia) is an emerging industrial agroforestry tree in Southern India. To maximize the land utilization with a field experiment was conducted at Western zone of Tamil Nadu to investigate the performance of black gram varieties under different spatial arrangements of Melia dubia plantations.

An agroforestry trial was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with eight treatments and three replications during kharif and rabi (2019-20) season. Black gram crop varieties (V₁ - CO6 and V₂ - VBN 6) were intercropped with M. dubia (1.5 year old plantation) with three different spacing of S₁ (3 × 1.5 m), S₂ (3 × 3 m) and S₃ (4 × 4 m) while S₀ as open field (Sole crop of black gram) for both the season.

The results of pooled analysis of two season shown that, treatment S₀V₂ recorded plant height (49.96 cm), number of branches (3.76), number of leaves (259.75), number of flowers (53.44), number of pods (22.85), seed yield per plant (5.38 g) and seed yield per hectare (0.82 tonnes) in open condition. Similarly in intercropping the growth and yield attributes of black gram were minimum performance recorded in CO 6 at closer spacing (3 × 1.5 m). In tree growth maximum pooled height increment (1.57 m) was observed in closer spacing (3 × 1.5 m) and maximum diameter recorded in wider spacing of both varieties. Hence wider spacing of S₃ (4 × 4 m) can be suggested for intercropping under M. dubia plantations upto 4 years.