Resource use efficiency and system productivity as influenced by crop intensification in FCV tobacco growing Vertisols of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

In the present context of doubling the farmer’s income, crop intensification and diversification is one of the most reliable and suggested interventions for enhancing resource use efficiency and productivity. Crop intensification with pre-tobacco season crops like maize/sorghum during rainy (kharif) season followed by tobacco during post-rainy (rabi) season are best available options instead of Fallow- tobacco which is generally followed by the farmers over the years. In view of this, a field experiment was carried out at ICAR-CTRI research farm, Katheru, Rajahmundry on Vertisols to evaluate the crop intensification and diversification strategies for higher system productivity and resource use efficiency. Results revealed that highersystem productivity based on tobacco leaf equivalent yield (TLEY) of 1900 kg/ha was recorded under maize-tobacco system followed by sorghumtobacco (1758 kg/ha) compared to the existing fallow-tobacco system (1507 kg/ha). Maize-tobacco and sorghum-tobacco systems also recorded highest land use efficiency (65.5 % and 63.3 respectively), relative production efficiency ( + 26.1% and + 16.7%, respectively) over theexisting fallow-tobacco system. Maize–tobacco system also recorded highest system profitability (232 Rs./ha/day) compared to all other systems.