Influence of integrated crop management practices on yield, PAR interception, resource-use-efficiency and energetics in pigeonpea in North Indian Plains

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of different integrated crop management (ICM) practices on productivity, resource-use efficiency and energetics of pigeonpea crop so as to overcome various production- and climatic-vulnerabilities in Indo-Gangetic Plains Region (IGPR). Methodology: A study was conducted during Kharif 2017 in pigeonpea under pigeonpea–wheat cropping system at IARI, New Delhi, India to assess the influence of nine different ICM modules [Conventional tillage (CT) based: 04 (ICM1–ICM4); Conservation agriculture (CA) based: 04 (ICM5–ICM8); Organic agriculture based: 01 (ICM9)] on productivity, PAR interception, resource-use-efficiency and energetics in pigeonpea in randomized block design replicated thrice. Results: Pigeonpea seed yield was significantly higher in ICM7 (1.92 t ha-1) – a CA-based ICM module which was followed by ICM5, ICM8 and ICM6. In general, the CA based ICM modules showed an edge over CT based ICM modules with reference to growth, yield and PAR interception. The resource-use-efficiency indices like total water-use-efficiency (TWUE), irrigation water-use-efficiency (IWUE), economic water-productivity (WPE), partial factor productivity of applied nutrients (NPK) also exhibited same trend as that of seed yield with highest TWUE (2.96 kg ha-mm–1) and WPE (104.5 INR ha-mm–1) in ICM7 module. The energy output was highest in ICM7 (2, 23, 664 MJ ha-1) followed by ICM5, ICM8 and ICM6. The trend of energy-use-efficiency was ICM4>ICM2>ICM1>ICM3>ICM5>ICM7>ICM6>ICM8>ICM9, respectively. Interpretation: Conservation agriculture (CA) based modules like ICM7 can be recommended to the farmers for enhancing the plant growth, PAR interception, crop productivity, resource-use efficiency and energetics in pigeonpea alone or on pigeonpea-wheat cropping system basis in semi-arid Indo-Gangetic plains region (IGPR).