The present investigation entitled “Effect of natural farming, organic farming and integrated crop management practices on yield attributes and productivity of soybean + maize intercropping system under unbunded
Vertisol of Chhattisgarh plains
” was conducted during
Kharif season of 2022 and 2023 at Instructional cum Research Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The soil of experimental field was clayey (
Vertisol), neutral in reaction (pH 6.85), medium in organic carbon (0.53%), low in available nitrogen (144 kg ha
-1), low in available phosphorus (18.4 kg ha
-1) and high in available potassium (377 kg ha
-1).
The experiment was carried out in randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. The treatments comprised of T1 – Control (No addition of any inputs except labour for operations including weeding), T2 - Complete Natural Farming (1. Beejamrit + Ghanjeevamrit + Jeevamrit; 2. Crop residue mulching; 3. Intercropping and 4. Whapasa), T3 - AI-NPOF package (75% RDN through organic sources + two foliar spray of 10% cow urine and vermiwash at 30 and 50 DAS), T4 - 50% RDN through organic sources + 50% RDN through inorganic sources (organic/natural pesticides for pest management) and T5 - 50% RDN through organic sources + 50% RDN through inorganic sources (chemical pesticides for pest management).
The results of the experiment revealed that integrated crop management i.e. 50% RDN through organic sources + 50% RDN through inorganic sources and pest management with chemical pesticides proved to be best for soybean + maize intercropping system in terms yield attributes and productivity and this was followed by integrated crop managementi.e. 50% RDN through organic sources + 50% RDN through inorganic sources and pest management with organic/natural pesticides and AI-NPOF package (75% RDN through organic sources + two foliar spray of 10% cow urine and vermiwash at 30 and 50 DAS). Higher soybean equivalent yield was registered under AI-NPOF package (75% RDN through organic sources + two foliar spray of 10% cow urine and vermiwash at 30 and 50 DAS).
