Intercropping in Young Oil Palm Plantation under Konkan Region of Maharastra, India

Abstract

Oil Palm is vertically growing perennial crop attains a height of about 20 to 30 meter with economic life of 35 years. It is planted on wider space and under good management it takes three years to utilize entire inter space. Since it is vertically growing perennial crop, there is ample scope for raising intercrops in oil palm plantations during the initial 3-4 years. Hence, attempt was made to suggest suitable intercrops in juvenile oil palm garden. A field experiment was conducted under young oil palm plantation of AICRP on Palms (Oil palm) project at College of Horticulture, Mulde during the year 2014 to 2017 to find out compatible and profitable intercrops at juvenile stage of the crop. Common crops viz., Banana, Pineapple and Elephant foot yam were taken as intercrops. Three years study revealed that, growing banana as an intercrop in oil palm, farmers can get Rs. 55,833 ha1 from Elephant foot yam Rs. 61,950 and Rs. 27,500 from pineapple. The study also revealed that the net returns were Rs. 89,549 year-1 in mix cropping with B: C ratio of 1.83 while it was negative (Rs. 10,021/- year-1) when oil palm was taken as sole crop. Yield of oil palm in intercrops was 10.53t ha-1whileit was only 7.64 t ha-1 in without intercrops. Thus, study brought out an alternative to make young Oil Palm orchard profitable by growing Banana, Pineapple and Elephant foot yam as an intercrop up to 4 years under South Konkan region of Maharashtra.