Moisture conservation practices in maize-black gram cropping system in dryland ecosystem and their impact on environment, energetics and economics

Results of study conducted at Dry land Farming Research Station, (MPUAT, Uadipur) Arjia Bhilwara, India during the kharif seasons of 2007 and 2008, to assess the impact of in situ moisture conservation systems in rainfed maize based cropping system, indicated that strip cropping of maize-black gram (4:8) was the best treatment in terms of environment, energetic, economics and increased maize equivalent yield by 98.4 per cent over control (maize + black gram intercropping (2:2). The Ridging after first intercultural operation (RAFIO) decreased runoff by 25 to 28 per cent over deep tillage and 44 to 45 per cent over shallow tillage during respective years. Deep tillage decreased runoff by 52 per cent and 51 per cent in paired intercropping and strip cropping, respectively, over shallow tillage. RAFIO increased maize grain equivalent yield by 27 to 41 per cent over deep tillage and by 36.02 to 47.59 per cent over shallow tillage in strip cropping and paired intercropping, respectively. RAFIO increased net return by 39 to 106 per cent over deep tillage and by 67.8 to 156.5 per cent over shallow tillage, respectively. Deep tillage increased the yield by 40.4 and 39.4 per cent under strip cropping and inter cropping systems of maize, accounted maximum share of energy input (43.02 – 76.69%) followed by tillage (4.15 – 32.60%) in different moisture conservation practices. The deep tillage required 6.59 times higher energy input than shallow tillage (281.4 MJ ha^-1). The energy input for RAFIO was higher (49.18%) in paired intercropping of maize + black gram (90/30) as compared with strip cropping of maize – black gram (4:8).