EVALUATION OF CROP DIVERSIFICATION AND INTENSIFICATION OPTIONS FOR ENHANCING RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY, SYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY AND FARM INCOME IN FCV TOBACCO GROWING BLACK SOIL REGION OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Abstract

Crop diversification and intensification finds an important place in the strategy of dealing with risk and uncertainty related to climate change, soil degradation and inefficient use of natural resources. It helps to increase the resilience of farmers through significant improvement in utilization of natural resources, system productivity and farm income. In view of this an field experiment was carried out at ICAR-CTRI, Black soil research farm, Katheru, Rajahmundry to evaluate the crop intensification and diversification options with inclusion of high value crops and cropping systems for higher system productivity, resource use efficiency and farm income. Results revealed that higher system productivity based on tobacco leaf equivalent yield (TLEY) was recorded under chilli (2588 kg/ha) followed by turmeric (2531 kg/ha) sole crops compared to foxtail millet-tobacco (1888 kg/ ha), finger millet-tobacco (1869 kg/ha) and existing fallow-tobacco system (1655 kg/ha). Chilli and turmeric are also recorded highest relative production efficiency (RPE of 55.4 % and 52.0% respectively), relative economic efficiency (REE of 65.3% and 47%, respectively) over the existing fallow-tobacco system. Finger millet-tobacco (67%), Foxtail millet-tobacco (61%), turmeric (64%) and chilli (58%) recorded highest land use efficiency compared to the fallow-tobacco system (37%).