Productivity of short-duration summer forage crops and their effect on succeeding aromatic rice in conjunction with gypsum-enriched urea

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted during 2006 and 2007 at New Delhi to study the productivity of summer forage crops and their effect in conjunction with gypsum-enriched urea (GEU) viz., absolute control, 0, 5, 10 and 15% on aromatic rice and economics of summer forage-aromatic rice cropping system. Among the 3 forage crops, maize + cowpea mixture recorded significantly higher dry fodder yields (13.18 t/ha) than sole cowpea (10.98 t/ha). Significantly the higher grain yield (2 year mean of 5.86 tonne/ha) and N, P, K and S uptake of aromatic rice was recorded when it was grown after cowpea than other treatments. Significantly higher grain (6.19 t/ha), and biological yields were recorded with 10% GEU. Significantly higher nutrient (NPKS) uptake was recoded with 15% GEU when compared with lower levels of GEU. Significantly higher net returns were recorded in forage maize + cowpea mixture-aromatic rice cropping system and with 15% GEU.