DOUBLING FARMERS INCOME THROUGH FOXTAIL MILLET-CHICKPEA CROPPING SEQUENCE UNDER RAINFED VERTISOLS OF RAYALASEEMA REGION OF ANDHRA PRADESH

M.M. MOHAN¹*, S.R. DEVI², A. VEERAIAH^3
1ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Utukur, 516 003, Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
²ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Utukur, 516 003, Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
³ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Utukur, 516 003, Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
* Corresponding Author : its_madan@yahoo.co.in

Received : 30-09-2019     Accepted : 13-10-2019     Published : 15-10-2019
Volume : 11     Issue : 19       Pages : 9122 - 9124
Int J Agr Sci 11.19 (2019):9122-9124

Keywords : On-farm trial, Relay cropping, Cropping intensity, Gram equivalent yield
Academic Editor : Aparna Jaiswal, Divyanshu Gupta, Venera Tsolova, Dr Saurav Gupta
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for funding support. Authors are also thankful to ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Utukur, 516 003, Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur, 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

On farm demonstrations were conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kadapa in sole rabi chickpea growing areas under black soils with objective of doubling net returns of the farmers by introducing short duration cereal crop as a catch crop instead of keeping the land fallow during kharif season. KVK scientists demonstrated short duration (75 days), drought tolerant foxtail millet var. suryanandi as preceding crop to rabi chickpea for three consecutive years i.e., 2013-14, 2014-15 & 2015-16 in farmer’s fields through participatory approach. The demo farmer’s realized additional average yield of 1800 kg ha-1with net returns of Rs. 19,400/- ha-1from foxtail millet apart from dry fodder to their cattle which limiting under rainfed situations. The relay bengalgram was sown during II F.N of October without any deviation in optimum window. From the pooled analysis of three years, 52.4 percent higher gram equivalent yield (2632 kg ha-1) was recorded in foxtail millet-chickpea cropping sequence demonstration compared with farmer’s practice of sole rabi chickpea. The adoption of Foxtail millet-bengalgram sequence doubled the net returns (Rs.51, 400/- ha-1) than farmer’s practice of sole rabi bengalgram (Rs.24,000/- ha-1) and cropping intensity also doubled apart from fodder security to their cattle under rainfed black soils farming situation of Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India.

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