Evaluating Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense L.) Based Intercropping System on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Status of Soil under Rainfed Condition

Aims: To determine the suitable component crop and its row pattern for enhancing growth and yield of little millet under intercropping system.

Study Design: Randomized complete Block Design (RBD).

Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was carried out during the rabi season from October 2023 – January 2024 at Instructional north farm in Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Methodology: This field experiment consists of 3 replications with eleven treatments viz., T1 – Little millet sole crop, T2 – Little millet + black gram (4:1), T3 – Little millet + black gram (6:1), T4 – Little millet + green gram (4:1), T5 – Little millet + green gram (6:1), T6 – Little millet + redgram (4:1), T7 – Little millet + redgram (6:1), T8 – Little millet + cowpea (4:1), T9 – Little millet + cowpea (6:1), T10 – Little millet + bengal gram (4:1), T11 – Little millet + bengal gram (6:1).

Results: The results of the experiment showed that T2 little millet + black gram (4:1) recorded the higher growth parameters like plant height (127.6 and 133.6 cm at 60 DAS and at harvest stage) and LAI of 5.23 and 4.84 at 60 DAS and at harvest stage, respectively and also produced higher yield parameters like no.of tillers plant-1 (9) and no.of productive tillers (8) with higher grain and stover yield of 1326 and 4109 kg ha-1 and it is statistically parallel with T4 little millet + green gram (4:1). And also, nutrient uptake was highest (N – 40.8, P – 5.7 and K – 33.5 kg ha-1) in little millet + black gram (6:1). Regarding the post harvest soil fertility status, little millet + cowpea (4:1) registered the highest available NPK (339, 47.6 and 197 kg ha-1). Therefore, intercropping of black gram or green gram with little millet under rainfed condition would be the ideal recommendation.