SHORT COMMUNICATION Productivity of Ethiopian Mustard + Chickpea Intercropping System Influenced by Moisture Conservation Practices and P and S Fertilization B. Lal 1 • K. S. Rana 2 • P. Gautam 1 • D. S. Rana 2 • B. P. Meena 3 • R. K. Meena 2 Received: 6 June 2014 / Revised: 2 July 2015 / Accepted: 22 March 2016 Ó The National Academy of Sciences, India 2016 Abstract The traditional practice of mixed cropping has gained popularity in recent years in the form of inter- cropping with a suitable modification in planting pattern. Intercropping legumes with non-legume crops is a common practice in the semi-arid tropics of India. Present study was conducted on Ethiopian mustard and chickpea intercrop- ping system with moisture conservation practices and dif- ferent levels of P and S. Effect on yield attributes and yield of the crops in intercropping system was also examined. Higher seed and stover yield was obtained in sole stand of both crops, but yield attributes of intercropping system remained at par with sole stand of crops except dry matter production. Moisture conservation and P and S nutrition also improved yield attributes of both the crops except their respective seed weight and test weight. Highest seed yield of both the crops (Ethiopian mustard-1.69 and chickpea- 1.58 t ha -1 ) was obtained with application of 60 kg P 2- O 5 ? 30 kg S ha -1 . Intercropping system of Ethiopian mustard and chickpea when provided with moisture con- servation like FYM@ 5 t ha -1 ? Organic mulch ? Kao- lin 6% spray and P and S application @60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 ? 30 kg S ha -1 , respectively, would be a viable option to increase the productivity of these crops in dryland areas. Keywords Chickpea Á Ethiopian mustard Á Intercropping Á Yield attribute Á Yield Intercropping is an old and widespread practice used in low input cropping systems in many areas of the world. To increase the production per unit area, intercropping systems provide resources to the resource poor farmers, more effi- cient use of land and labour, better utilization of light, water and nutrients and better control of weeds, insects/ pests [1], and pathogens than sole crops. Intercropping offers opportunity for utilizing niche differences between crop species when the intercropped species have different resource requirements in time and/or space, or when one species is able to provide resources to the other [2, 3]. Mustard and chickpea is a prominent intercropping system not only in the Indo-Gangetic plains of north India but in the entire subcontinent on dry lands in conserved moisture conditions. These two crops are grown in sole as well as in mixed stands, because of their diverse morphology, growth rhythm and similar climatic conditions. These crops are grown under rainfed conditions and are prone to water stress, due to rapid loss of soil moisture and development of mechanical impedance to root growth. The stress can be alleviated by enlarging rooting volume in the soil and by regulating the supply of soil moisture. Organic mulches are viable option because for moisture regulation as these are poor conductor of heat that effectively reduces soil tem- perature and maintain soil moisture for longer period [4]. Ethiopian mustard, being a deep-rooted hardy crop to extract more moisture from deeper layer, was selected as test crop along with chickpea in intercropping system. However, its real advantage can be obtained if it is sup- plemented with adequate fertilizer and suitable moisture conservation practices. Information on this aspect is & B. Lal blalsgnr@gmail.com 1 Crop Production Division, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753 006, Odisha, India 2 Division of Agronomy, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India 3 Division of Agronomy, Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal 462038, Madhya Pradesh, India 123 Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. DOI 10.1007/s40009-016-0481-x