Effect of Cutting Frequency on Growth and Yield of Beet Leaf intercropped with Onion Seed Crop

Author: K.S. Saini, S.K. Dhankhar and D.R. Choudhary

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Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20. Onion is a biennial crop; to produce seeds, it takes two full seasons. The objective was that, in this long period, the farmer could take beet leaf as an intercrop for continuous earnings with the onion seed crop. There were nine intercropping combinations treated as treatments with three replications each. The onion spacing was 60×30 cm grown as the main seed crop, and intercrop beet leaf spacing was 15×5 cm. There were 1 or 2 rows of beet leaf between the onion plant spacing with different cutting frequencies. Two years pooled data was found that the treatment T2: Onion + Beet leaf (1 row) 3 cuttings were highest in leaf length (14.5 cm), leaf width (8.3 cm), petiole length (13.2 cm), onion seed yield (481 kg ha-1), lowest leaf yield (93.3 q ha-1). While among the intercropping treatment T9: onion + beet leaf (2 rows) 6 cuttings were recorded minimum leaf length (12.2 cm), leaf width (7.0 cm), petiole length (11.1cm), onion seed yield (404 kg ha-1), and highest leaf yield (250.5 q ha-1). Whereas, treatment T1: sole crop beet leaf recorded in leaf length (12.0 cm), leaf width (7.1 cm), petiole length (11.0 cm), highest leaf yield (412.7 q ha-1), lowest onion equivalent yield (330.1 kg ha-1). Finally, the significant outcomes of this study were that the farmers may get frequent income but lower net returns due to the fairly good onion seed yield in the intercropping patterns.

Keywords

Beet leaf, cutting frequency, leaf yield, intercropping, onion seed crop, equivalent yield

Conclusion

Onion crop is a biennial, requiring two complete growing seasons to yield seeds. Over this prolonged time frame, the farmer might use beet leaf as an intercrop to provide ongoing income. A study was carried out to determine the optimal intercropping combination without compromising the income keeping this in mind. Lastly, one of the study's major findings was that although the intercropping patterns produced a reasonably decent yield of onion seeds, the farmers may get frequent revenue but lower net returns.

References

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How to cite this article

K.S. Saini, S.K. Dhankhar and D.R. Choudhary (2023). Effect of Cutting Frequency on Growth and Yield of Beet Leaf intercropped with Onion Seed Crop. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(10): 684-688.