Performance of intercropping legumes in fingermillet (Eleusine coracana) at varying fertility levels

A field experiment conducted during the monsoon season of 1994 and 1995 sho wed that sole groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) higher dry-matter yield, leaf -area index and crop-growth rate at early growth stages; but sole groundnut , fingermillet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] + pigeonpea [Cajanus, cajan (L.) Millsp.] and fingermillet + groundnut intercropping recorded higher v alues of the above growth attributes at later stages. Sole fingermillet pro duced more ears/m(2) but fingermillet + pigeonpea intercropping recorded mo re fingers/ear than other cropping systems. Among the legumes, pigeonpea re corded greater number of pods/plant, whereas greengram (Phaseolus radiatus L.) produced higher number of seeds/pod and groundnut had the highest test weight. Sole groundnut produced the highest pod and chaff yields. Fingermil let + groundnut, fingermillet + pigeonpea and sole fingermillet also gave h igher yield than other cropping systems. Application 60 kg N, 30 kg P2O5, a nd 30 kg K2O/ha recorded more dry-matter yield, leaf-area index and crop-gr owth rate. It helped in increasing fingers/ear, pods/plant and seeds or ker nels/pod over the low fertility levels and resulted in higher yield of all the crops under sole and intercropping systems. Sole groundnut at high fert ility level gave the highest yield.