MIXED CROPPING OF JUTE AND GREEN GRAM UNDER LOW DENSITY SOWING OF JUTE, INDIA

MIXED CROPPING OF JUTE AND GREEN GRAM UNDER LOW DENSITY SOWING OF JUTE
(1) Dr. Asesh Kumar Ghorai and (2) Dr. Asim Kumar Chakraborty
(1) Retired Principal Scientist, and (2) Senior Scientist, Agricultural Statistics, ICAR-CRIJAF, WB
Repeated experiments (at ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore, WB) and farmers’ field trials (North 24 PGS, Murshidabad, Dakshin Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri etc WB) were conducted for mixed cropping of jute and green gram under low density sowing of jute, from 2015 to 2022 to strengthen jute farming economy, ascertain protein security of poor jute farmers, weed smothering in jute and improve soil sustainability through nitrogen rich pulse wastes. Jute variety cv. NJ 7010 (pre mature flowering resistant) was broadcasted @ 2.24 kg/ha (mixing with 5.26 kg river sand to make an weight of 7.5 kg/ha) and then green gram variety TMB-37 ( 55 days to mature and virus resistant) were broadcasted from 15-25th March. At CRIJAF, pre mature flowering resistant jute cv. JRO BA3 and 55 days maturity and virus resistant green gram cv. Virat was tested with success. Fertiliser of N:P:K:: 26:70:70 were applied as basal dose and 54 kg nitrogen was top dressed after green gram harvest in jute with irrigation. For composite weed control Pretilachlor 50 EC was applied @ 900 g ai/ha following irrigation at sowing. Pest control was done using recommended practices. At 15 days after sowing Imidacloprid and SAAF was applied to avoid vectors for virus and fungal attack. Emamectin benzoate was applied @ 250 g/ha for pulse borer control. To control pulse pod sucking bug Deltamethrin was applied @ 1.5 ml/l. Irrigation was withheld till harvest of green gram. We got 3 to 7.2 q/ha green gram at 55-60 DAS and 27 to 29 q jute fibre/ha. It also adds 2.5 tonnes green gram biomass/ha (2.35% nitrogen on dry weight basis). Green gram smother weeds by its canopy cover. The pulse grain yield ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 q/ha when rain fall coincides with pod maturity.
References:
1.Asesh Kumar Ghorai (2023).Agricultural weeder with nail assembly for weed control, soil moisture conservation, soil aeration and increasing crop productivity. Current science, 124 (5):635-640
2. Asesh Kumar Ghorai and Suman Roy (2022).Weed smothering in jute (Corchorus olitorius l.) by its high density broadcast sowing, using cover crop principle. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 11(03):108-119