~ 3488 ~ International Journal of Chemical Studies 2018; 6(2): 3488-3492 P-ISSN: 2349–8528 E-ISSN: 2321–4902 IJCS 2018; 6(2): 3488-3492 © 2018 IJCS Received: 03-01-2018 Accepted: 04-02-2018 Ashutosh Barthwal Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India VK Singh Professor, Agronomy, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Shambhoo Prasad Technical Officer, College of Forestry, Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry, Ranichauri, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India Naveen Rawat Department of seed Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Hariom Shah Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Correspondence Ashutosh Barthwal Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Productivity and profitability of pigeonpea ( Cajanus cajan ) in pigeonpea based cropping system under different integrated nutrient management practices in Tarai region of Uttarakhand Ashutosh Barthwal, VK Singh, Shambhoo Prasad, Naveen Rawat and Hariom Shah Abstract A two years field study was carried out at Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand to evaluate the productivity and profitability of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) in pigeonpea based cropping system under different integrated nutrient management practices in Tarai region of Uttarakhand. Results reveals that Maximum grain yield, biological yield, harvest index of pigeonpea and pigeonpea equivalent yield as well as net return and B:C ratio was recorded in Pigeonpea + Urd cropping system than sole and Pigeonpea + Maize cropping system. Application of Recommended Dose of Fertilizer + vermicompost @ 2.5 t/ha found as effective as Recommended Dose of Fertilizer + Farm Yard Manure @ 5.0 t/ha and improved all the growth and yield parameters of pigeonpea than Recommended Dose of Fertilizer alone. However, highest net return was obtained under Recommended Dose of Fertilizer + Farm Yard Manure @ 5.0 t/ha compared to Recommended Dose of Fertilizer alone. Keywords: intercropping, pigeonpea, urdbean, equivalent yield, B:C ratio Introduction Pulses, together with cereals, have been fundamental to the development of modern agriculture. They are second only to cereals in importance for human and animal dietary needs. Deep rooting characteristics, ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and huge leaf fall makes pulses an important component in cropping systems. In addition, many pulses release soil- bound phosphate through their symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi as stated by Hayman (1983) [10] . Besides expansion of cultivated area and increasing the yield per unit area of crop, the modern agriculture adds two more dimensions viz., time and space. The main concept of intercropping is to get increased total productivity per unit area and time, besides equitable and judicious utilization of land resources and farming inputs. Pigeonpea grown as a sole crop shows inefficient utilization of resources especially the space because of its slow initial growth rate and low harvest index. Intercropping of short duration cereals and pulses provides an opportunity to utilize of available resources more efficiently with enhancement of productivity and profitability of system. Being one of the most drought tolerant legumes, pigeonpea has a great potential to increase the sustainability of cropping systems in the arid and semi-arid regions. In India, pigeonpea is generally intercropped with maize, sesamum, soybean, mungbean and groundnut. Different maturing habit, growth pattern, nutrient and water requirement and rooting pattern of these crops make them suitable to grow as intercropping system with pigeonpea. Blade et al. (1997) [2] argued that the sole crop produced higher yield when insecticide spray is used, most farmers traditionally practices mixed cropping. But in general, intercropping has been reported to be more productive than monocropping (Ghosh et al. 2006) [9] this might be through efficient use of light energy and other growth resources. Kamara et al. (2017) [12] stated that the optimization of land resource use could be achieved when crops are grown under intercropping and plant population density increased. However, intercropping offers potential advantage for resource utilization, decreased inputs and increased sustainability in crop production as reported by Egbe et al. (2010) [8] .