Productivity and Economic Feasibility of Pigeonpea Base Companion Cropping under Additive Series Planting System

Over two consecutive Kharif seasons in 2016-2017 and 2017-18, a study was conducted at the Soil Conservation and Water Management Farm of C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology in Kanpur. The study aimed to determine the yields and economic benefits (in terms of net profit) of the primary crops: pigeonpea, black gram, and sesame. The experimental field's soil was classified as sandy loam with a pH of 7.8, containing 0.32% organic carbon, 17.3 kg/ha of available P2O5, and 181.2 kg/ha of available K2O, indicating a medium fertility level. The experiment included five different cropping treatments: sole pigeonpea, sole black gram, sole sesame, a combination of pigeonpea and black gram (1+1) in an additive series, and a combination of pigeonpea and sesame (1+1) in an additive series. The combined cultivation of pigeon pea and black gram yielded the highest productivity at 23.53 quintals per hectare (q/ha), outperforming the pigeonpea and sesame combination at 20.30 q/ha and sole pigeonpea at 17.34 q/ha. The analysis of aggregated data revealed that the highest cultivation cost was Rs. 57,876.00 per hectare for pigeonpea and black gram, followed by pigeonpea and sesame at Rs. 56,191 per hectare. The greatest gross returns were observed with the pigeonpea and black gram combination at Rs. 134,024 per hectare, with a net return of Rs. 76,148 and a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1:2.32. This was followed by the pigeonpea and sesame combination, whereas sole pigeonpea cultivation resulted in a net return of Rs. 50,387 and a BCR of 1:2.01.