Productivity, Profitability and Monetary Net Return Use Efficiency of Need based Soybean (Glycine max) Cropping Systems under Vertisols in Malwa Plateau of India

Long term regular practice of soybean-chickpea and soybean-wheat system in the growing region is posing severe problems before the growers such as low productivity, profitability and monetary net return use efficiency due to delayed sowing of wheat and low market value of produce as well as poor economic viability of this cropping system.

A field trial was laid out during monsoon (rainy), winter and late winter seasons of the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 to evaluate the productivity, cost benefit and sustainability of soybean based crop sequences under Vertisols for Malwa Plateau at the experimental field of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhar, Madhya Pradesh in Central India. In 16 cropping sequences, soybean was sequenced with feasible winter crops viz. wheat, chickpea, garlic, onion, potato and garden pea with inclusion of garlic, onion in late winter and assessed in randomized block design with four replications.

Soybean (JS 93-05) -potato (Kufri jyoti) -onion (AFLR) cropping sequence registered the highest soybean equivalent yield (17731 kg/ha) with maximum gross returns (‘ 4,83,207/ha), net returns (‘ 3,62,170/ha), benefit: cost ratio (4.0) and monetary return use efficiency (per day return) (1156.01). Next highest soybean equivalent yield (10443 kg/ha) with maximum gross returns ‘ 2,83,337/ha, net returns ‘ 2,07,562/ha, benefit: cost ratio 3.74 and monetary return use efficiency (879.81) was recorded in soybean (JS 93-05) - onion (AFLR) cropping sequence than existing cropping sequences (soybean-wheat and soybean-chick pea).