EFFECT OF PRUNING TREATMENTS ON SESBANIA SESBAN (L.) PERS. ALLEY CROPPED WITH MAIZE AND COWPEA

摘要

Field trials were conducted in the experimental area of TFRI campus, Jabalpur on S. sesban, an useful nitrogen fixing MPT, alley cropped with maize and cowpea with the main objective of optimising productivity of this cropping system. The legume woodyspecies was grown in hedge rows spaced at 3.5 m apart. Trials were carried out after the establishment of the hedge row in RBD with 3 replications. The S. sesban hedge rows were maintained at 3 pruning heights (0.5 m, 1.0 m & 1.5 m) and biomass harvested at trimonthly intervals. The biomass and nitrogen yield increased with increasing pruning height. The trimonthly pruning intensity had no effect on survival of S. sesban plants. The various pruning heights had pronounced effect on grain yield of alleycropped maize and cowpea.