Assessment of the growth and yield attributes of different intercrops under Mahogany based Agroforestry system

Abstract

The experiment was conducted during the year 2024-25 at farmer's field located at Kusur village of Mundgod taluk, Uttara Kannada district. Total area of field is one acre. The average annual rainfall is 2200 mm. To study Tree-Crop performance of Mahogany based Agroforestry system the experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with 7 treatments and three replications with two environments (Mahogany and open). Seven intercrops are selected viz., Cowpea, Blackgram, Greengram, Horsegram, Chickpea, Mothbean and Lentil. Various growth and yield parameters were recorded for both trees and crops. The performance of intercrops grown under Mahogany were recorded. The performance of seven pulses under open conditions and in association with Swietenia macrophylla (Mahogany) in an Agroforestry system. In the Mahogany-based Agroforestry system, Cowpea (7.59 q/ha, HI 36.90 percent, RGYI 12.38 percent) and Blackgram (7.48 q/ha, HI 35.88 percent, RGYI 15.24 percent) emerged as the most productive and shade-tolerant intercrops. Overall, these pulses Cowpea and Blackgram, are the most suitable options for sustaining yield, harvest efficiency, and adaptability in Swietenia macrophylla. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that all seven pulse varieties demonstrated superior performance under open field conditions when compared to their growth under the Mahogany-based Agroforestry system. However, within the constraints of the agroforestry environment and intercrops such as cowpea and blackgram emerged as the most promising options. These crops showed comparatively higher seed and biological yields than the other varieties evaluated, making them suitable candidates for cultivation under tree-based systems like Swietenia macrophylla.