Effect of Intercrops on Growth, Productivity, Quality and Relative Economic Yield of Apple cv. Red Delicious

The present investigations were aimed to assess the impact of intercrops viz., maize, oats, strawberry, cabbage, red clover, French bean and pea on the growth, productivity, quality and relative economic yield of apple cv. ‘Red Delicious’ under Kashmir conditions. The study revealed significant improvement in annual extension growth, plant height and plant spread in apple plants intercropped with legume crops in comparison apple plants with heavy feeder intercrops. The apple trees intercropped with legume exhibited fruit yield, weight, volume and firmness of 34.44–36.41 kg tree⁻¹, 145.29–154.68 g, 159-71-166.77 cm³ and 18.60–20.55 lb/inch square, respectively, than those intercropped with non-leguminous crops with respective values of 28.60–29.52 kg tree⁻¹, 137.96–138.12 g, 149.86–150.80 cm³ and 16.90–17.32 lb/inch square. The impact of intercrops on relative economics of apple (system equivalent yield) revealed that the apple plants intercropped with pea had better benefit: cost ratio (1.71), followed by cabbage (1.41), red clover (1.40) and French bean (1.39) than clean cultivation (1.34).