Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(11): 2294-2302 2294 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.711.258 Performance of Different Crop Geometry on Yield Advantage Assessment and Economics of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) + Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) Intercropping System Y. Lavanya 1* , N.G. Kurhade 2 and G.R. Pawar 2 1 T.N.A.U. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2 V.N.M.K.V. Parbhani, Maharashtra, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Change in climate is likely to aggravate the problems of future food security by exerting pressure on agriculture. India is more vulnerable to climate change in view of the high population depending on agriculture, excessive pressure on natural resources and poor coping mechanisms. In India significant impacts have been implied with medium term (2010-2039), climate change, predicted to reduce yields by 4.5-9%, which is roughly up to 1.5% of GDP per year (Jasna et al., 2014). Intercropping, an important feature of traditional dryland farming has been successfully exploited to increase productivity per unit of land and water in semiarid tropics. The system of intercropping not only saves the crops against natural hazard but also helps in International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 11 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2017 at the Experimental Farm, Agronomy Section, College of Agriculture, Parbhani (Maharashtra). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. There were total 8 treatments combination consisting 3 row spacing of pigeonpea combined with 2 intra-row spacings and 2 sole cropping treatments of pigeonpea and niger in the recommended spacing of respective crops added. The intercropping system of pigeonpea + niger crops was tried with row proportion of 1: 2, 1: 2, 1: 3, 1: 3, 1: 4 and 1: 4 in 90 x 30cm, 90 x 45cm, 120 x 30cm, 120 x 45cm, 150 x 30cm and 150 x 45cm planting geometry of pigeonpea in treatments T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , T 5 and T 6 respectively. Studied planting geometry of sole treatments T 7 and T 8 of pigeonpea and niger were 90 x 20 cm and 30 x 10cm respectively. Inter row and intra row spacing of niger in intercropping treatments were same i.e. 30 x 10cm. Among all the treatments of pigeonpea + niger intercropping system under rainfed condition, T 7 i.e. sole pigeonpea with planting geometry (90 x 20cm) recorded higher pigeonpea equivalent yield (1650 kg ha) and B: C ratio (3.74) which was followed by treatment T 3, T 5 and T 1 i.e. row ratio 1: 3 (120 x 30cm), 1: 4 (150 x 30cm) and 1: 2 (90 x 30cm). Hence intra-row spacing 30cm under 90cm, 120cm and 150cm of pigeonpea row spacing along with 1: 2, 1: 3 and 1: 4 pigeonpea + niger row proportion produced higher pigeonpea equivalent yield than intra row spacing 45 cm in intercropping system. Keywords Economics, Intercropping, Niger, Plant geometry, Pigeonpea, Yield Accepted: 18 October 2018 Available Online: 10 November 2018 Article Info