~ 2674 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2018; 7(1): 2674-2676 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2018; 7(1): 2674-2676 Received: 13-11-2017 Accepted: 14-12-2017 Bhupendra Kumar Deptt. of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Dr. KP Singh Deptt. of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Dr. Beena Singh Deptt. of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Khirod Kumar Deptt. of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Correspondence Bhupendra Kumar Deptt. of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Effect of mulching on economics studies of vegetables as intercrop in the kinnow orchard under agro-climatic condition of Bastar plateau of Chhattisgarh Bhupendra Kumar, Dr. KP Singh, Dr. Beena Singh and Khirod Kumar Abstract A field experiment entitled “Effect of mulching on economics studies of vegetables as intercrop in the Kinnow orchard under agro-climatic condition of Bastar plateau of Chhattisgarh” was conducted during the Rabi season of 2016-17 at the Instructional farm, College of Horticulture and Research Station, Jagdalpur (C.G.). The experiment was laid out in T-test with three replications. The treatment consisted of mulched and non-mulched plots in four different crops viz., tomato, chilli, brinjal and bitter gourd. The mulched plots of tomato recorded the maximum yield ha -1 (130.33q) and benefit cost: ratio of (2.66). However, the non-mulched plots recorded the maximum yield ha -1 (100.00q) and benefit cost: ratio of (2.56). Keywords: maximum, yield and economics Introduction Kinnow is a high yield mandarin hybrid cultivated extensively in the wider Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is a hybrid of two citrus cultivars King (Citrus nobilis) × Willow Leaf (Citrus × deliciosa) first developed by Howard, B. Frost at the University of California Citrus Experiment Station. After evaluation, the kinnow was released as a new citrus hybrid for commercial cultivation in 1935. In a hot climate, plants can grow up to 35 feet high Kinnow trees are highly productive. It is not uncommon to find 1000 fruits per tree in usual (Rattanpal et al., 2008) [7] . In India, Kinnow is being grown in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. Mulching is the process or practice of covering the soil surface to make it more favourable for plant growth, development and efficient crop production. Natural mulches such as leaf, straw, dead leaves and compost have been used for centuries, during the last 60 years the advent of synthetic materials has altered the methods and benefits of mulching. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) is one of the most popular and versatile cash earning vegetable crop and plays a vital role in culinary purposes for its nutrients, delicious taste and various modes of consumption i.e. fresh as salads, cooked vegetables and its utilization in preparation of range of processed products such as puree, paste, powder, ketchup, sauce, soup and canned whole fruits. In India, tomato is cultivated in about 791 thousand hectares area with the production of 173.98 t ha -1 (Horticulture Statistics Division, 2015) [5] . In Chhattisgarh also, tomato is one of the top ranking vegetable and is estimated to be grown on about 414.440 hectares area comprising three leading districts of the state viz. Bilaspur 74.05 ha, Jashpur 51.43 ha and Durg 44.10 ha (Directorate of Horticulture, 2015). Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) is a common vegetable crop grown in the sub-tropics and tropics. It is called eggplant in USA and aubergine in Europe. It is being produced in 14.76 million tonnes from an area of 23.63 million hectare (Horticulture Statistics Division, 2015) [5] . Chhattisgarh produces nearly 606.711 metric tonnes of brinjal from an area of 334.21 hectares whereas; Jagdalpur region of Bastar produces 124.00 metric tonnes from an area of 77.5 hectares (Directorate of Horticulture, 2015) [5] . Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important spice crop belonging to the family Solanaceae. Chilli is widely cultivated throughout the warm temperature of tropical and sub-tropical countries and is a native to Mexico. Its fruits are rich source of vitamin C, A and E. Nearly 19.83 million tonnes of it is being produced from an area of 17.0 million hectare (Horticulture Statistics Division, 2015) [5] . Chhattisgarh produces 640.027 metric tonnes of chilli from an area of 911.15 hectares. The region in Bastar produced 119.07 metric tonnes of chilli from an area of 10.85 hectares (Directorate of Horticulture, 2015) [4] . Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is grown for its bitter tender fruits. It is a rich source iron. It can be canned and pickled.