Response of crops to different land-management practices under sodic soil conditions

A field experiment was conducted on sodic soils during 1995 and 1996 at Anb il Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirappall i in Tamil Nadu. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with thre e replications. The main-plot treatment consisted of five crops, viz. sorgh um, [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Warp.], b lackgram (Phaseolus mungo L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and gingell y (Sesamum indicum L.); and subplot treatments consisted of three land-mana gement practices, viz. flat bed (30 cm x 15 cm), ridges and furrows spaced at 45 cm x 10 cm, and flat ridges and furrows spaced at 30 cm x 15 cm. The highest yield was recorded in sunflower (6.69 q/ha) cowpea (6.31 q/ha), sor ghum (34.67 q/ha), blackgram (5.31 q/ha) and gingelly (5.16 q/ha) in ridges and furrows. Among the five crops evaluated under sodic soil conditions, s unflower recorded the highest benefit: cost ratio of 3.35, followed by cowp ea (3.03), sorghum (2.77), blackgram (2.47) and gingelly (2.12). Ridges and furrows system of land preparation recorded the highest benefit: cost rati o of 2.7 in 1995-96 and 2.8 in 1996-97 with a pooled mean value of 2.7.