Taro (Colocasia esculenta Schott.) based intercropping systems: interspecies interaction effects on growth and yield

Abstract

Intercropping is a viable option to monoculture with a view to increasing the use efficiency of natural resources. A field experiment was conducted at the Regional Station of ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India for three consecutive years (2018-2000) on alfisols under rainfed conditions to study interspecies interaction in taro based intercropping systems. The experiment consisted of seven treatments, T1-sole taro, T2-sole maize, T3-sole pigeon pea, T4-taro+maize (5:1), T5- taro+maize (5:2), T6- taro+pigeon pea (5:1) and T7-taro+pigeon pea (5:2). The treatments were replicated three times. During the cropping period, the weather was favourble for all the crops in all the years. The results revealed that taro border rows in intercropping resulted in higher growth characters and lower yield components and yield than sole crop rows. Maize and pigeon pea in intercropping resulted in higher growth characters, yield components and yield than sole maize and pigeon pea. Taro was affected by interspecies interference, whereas interspecies interference was minimalfor maize and pigeonpea under intercropping. As intercrop, pigeon pea affected taro corm and cormel yield more than maize as pigeon pea competed with taro for longer period (165 days) than maize (90 days). Under intercropping, the decrease in taro corm and cormel yield was due to decrease in taro population apart from intercrop (maize/pigeon pea) competition. Taro corm yield per ha wasaffected more than cormel yield per ha under intercropping. The cormel equivalent yield (CEY) of taro sole cropping was higher and comparable to taro+maize (5:1) and taro+pigeon pea (5:1) intercropping systems. However, during unfavourable (lesser rainfall and rainy days) season only the potential of intercropping system will be realized.