Vol. 9, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Intercropping has multifaceted advantages consisting of yield enhancement, more efficient use of resource, resource conservation, soil health improvement, crop diversification and superior ecosystem services and agricultural sustainability. Okra is a extensively cultivated vegetable crop and is planted with wide row spacing during rainy season and so it offers the scope of intercropping. Intercropping, the technique of growing two or more crops in close proximity and considered for increasing and stability of yield per unit. In this regard, a field experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station Kahikuchi to study intercropping efficiency and profitability on okra- blackgram intercropping system. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with the following treatments T₁: sole black gram, T₂: sole Okra, T₃: okra + blackgram (1:1), T₄: okra + blackgram (1:2), T₅: okra + blackgram (2:2). Okra was grown as main crop with Blackgram as intercrop. Line sowing of Okra var Arka anamika was grown with a spacing of 45 cm x 30 cm in sole okra. Blackgram var SBC- 40 was sown with 30 cm x 10 cm spacing. As per the treatments, single and double rows of intercrops were grown in between okra.

The result indicated that all the growth and yield parameters were relatively higher under sole cropping which ultimately registered the higher fruit yield as compared to intercropping treatments. The maximum fruit yield (13.33 tha^-1) was noted with sole okra and sole black gram (15.56 qha^-1). Then it was followed by okra + blackgram with 1:2 ratios (10.22 tha^-1) and (1.07 tha^-1) respectively. Further, it was observed that, highest land equivalent ratio (1.46) was registered under okra + Blackgram at 1:2 row ratio indicating higher total productivity. Thus intercropping had a significant effect on all treatments and was best performed in okra and black gram (1:2) treatment. Sole okra yielded more than intercropped okra, however extra yield obtained in intercropping black gram and okra (1:2) was quite satisfactory as it enhanced its growth and yield and appeared to be the best configuration for these crops that indicated advantage of intercropping system.