Performance of fruit trees (drip irrigation) and intercrops (rainfed) under agri-horti system in arid western Rajasthan

Abstract

Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia L.). cluster bean (Cvamopsis tetragonoloba ..Taub.) and sonamukhi (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) were grown as intererops under agri-horti-silvi sysiem with 7-ycar-old plantations of citrus |Citrus aurantifolia (Cristm.) Swingle]. bael |Acgle nmarmelos (L.) Corre:al and gonda (Cordia myxa .) at research farm of Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Bikaner, during two consecutive years of 2008 and 2009. Highest seed and stover yield of moth bean (4o0 & 188I kgha' in 2008 and 20 & 1301 ky/ha in 2009) and cluster bean (623 & 2146 kgha' 'in 2008 and 533 & 1838 kgha ' in 2009) as well as, the leaf and seed yield of sonamukhi (323 & 53 kgha" in 2008 and 415 & 80 kgha"" in 2009) was recorded in intercropping with cirus. Among the different levels of irrigation applied to fruit trees, irrigation at 80% of potential erop evapotranspiration (ETe) gave the highest yield and water use efficiency in all the crops, while the lowest was recorded at 40% ETc. It was also observed that cluster bean intercropped with citrus recorded the highest WUE (3.76 (kgha'mm')).