Impact of mulching and nutrient management under pulses based cropping systems on vertisols of southern transitional zone of Karnataka

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of mulching and nutrient management under different pulse based cropping system during 2018-19 at Indian Institute Pulses Research, Regional Research Station, Dharwad, Karnataka, India. The field experiment was conducted in deep black soil using split-split plot design with three replications. The treatments comprised of four cropping systems i.e., maize-chickpea, soybean-chickpea, groundnut-chickpea and mungbean-sorghum and two levels of fertilisation (farmers practise and recommended rate of fertilisers) with mulching and without mulching. The pooled yield of different crops under cropping system was significantly higher with mulching and recommended rate of fertilizer application. Among the different cropping systems, maize-chickpea was recorded significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield (3867 kg/ha) compared to other cropping system. Application of recommended rate of fertilizers resulted in higher chickpea equivalent yield of 2794 kg/ha over farmers’ practice. Among the mulching practices, mulching with crop residues recorded significantly higher chickpea equivalent yield of 4257 kg/ha over no mulching (3754 kg/ha). Higher yields of component crops are reported in recommended rate of fertilisers with mulching. Hence, for realising higher system productivity and net returns, it is better to grow maize during kharif season followed by chickpea in rabi season with recommended rate of fertilisers and crop residue mulching for in-situ moisture conservation.