Nitrogen uptake and yield performance of finger millet-mung bean intercropping system under different moisture regimes

Abstract

Finger millet (FM/ Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) is widely grown in arid and semi-arid regions around the world to ensure future food and nutritional security as well as a potential crop for drought-prone cropping lands. FM can be intercropped with legumes to enhance productivity of cropping systems. An experiment was conducted at the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya to investigate the nitrogen (N) uptake and yield performance of FM-Green gram (GG/ Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) intercropping system under well-watered and drought conditions. The experiment was conducted as two factor factorial in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replicates per treatment. In a pot experiment, two crop species were grown as monocropping and intercropping under two moisture levels (well-watered and moisture-stressed condition). Soil moisture in well- watered condition was maintained at 80% of the field capacity and moisture-stress was imposed with 40% of the field capacity. All the data were analyzed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software. Parametric data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and mean separation was done through Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. Plant dry weight (g/plant) and uptake of N (mg-N/plant) were measured. FM produced similar shoot and root dry weight irrespective of the moisture treatment and cropping system. However, moisture stress reduced the dry weight of FM (11.4 g/plant to 7.2 g/plant). Intercropping had no yield advantage either in well-watered or moisture-stressed condition. Moisture-stressed condition significantly (P<0.05) decreased the panicle dry weight of FM (5.4 g/plant to 2.3 g/plant). Irrespective of the moisture treatment, FM grown with GG accumulated more N (155.3 mg-N/plant) than those cultivated in monocropping system (109.2 mg-N/plant). From the results, it can be concluded that, FM-GG intercropping provides N uptake advantage for FM. However, Nuptake advantage could not translate into yield advantage of FM either in well-watered or moisture stressed condition.