EVALUATION OF GROWTH AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS OF CURCUMA LONGA AND AMORPHOPHALLUS PAEONIIFOLIUS INTERCROPS IN MEDIUM AGED PISIDIUM GUAJAVA ORCHARD

Abstract

In the present study, growth and economic parameters of two intercrops Amorphophallus paeonifolius (Variety-Gajendra-1) Dennst Nilolson and Curcuma longa L. (Variety- Narendra haldi-1) were investigated in 11 year old guava (VarietyAllahabadi Safeda) orchard. The survival percent, plant height, number of leaves, collar diameter, leaf length and rhizome length were enhanced significantly through intercropping under P. guajava. Under intercropping, C. longa yielded 150.48 qha-1 and A. paeoniifolius gave 304.53qha-1 which was 11.57 percent and 17.54 percent higher respectively than pure crop. There was 30.25 percent improvement in the emergence of new shoots, 27.45 percent in fruit numbers due to intercropping. Gross profit was found Rs. 3.76 lakh ha-1 for C. longa and Rs. 5.48 lakh for A. paeoniifolius in intercropping than pure crops which rendered gross profit of Rs.3.32 lakh ha-1 and Rs. 4.51 lakh ha-1 respectively. The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) was recorded 4.74 for Fruit tree + C. longa and 2.70 for fruit tree + A. paeoniifolius respectively while the same parameters computed 2.78 and 1.52 for C. longa and A. paeoniifolius with monocropping. The cultivation of A. paeoniifolius proved more remunerative and better intercrop than C. longa.