This document discusses intercropping systems in Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). It defines intercropping as cultivating two or more crops simultaneously in the same field. The objectives of intercropping include higher productivity, stability of production, and insurance against crop failure. Research has found that intercropping Bt cotton with fodder maize resulted in the highest seed cotton equivalent yield. Applying recommended doses of nitrogen to intercrops also increased intercrop yields. Intercropping was concluded to increase soil fertility, nutrient uptake, and income per unit area compared to sole cropping.

2. Master’s Seminar
ON
INTER-CROPPING SYSTEM IN Bt COTTON
(Gossypium hirsutum)
Submitted to-
Dr. Vikram Singh
Associate Professor
Department of Agronomy
Allahabad School of Agriculture
SHIATS
Submitted by
Vikram Pal
M.Sc. (Ag) Agronomy
I.D. No – 16MSAGRO010
Department of Agronomy
SHIATS

3. FLOW OF PRESENTATION
 INTRODUCTION
 WHY INTERCROP ?
 OBJECTIVES OF INTERCROPPING SYSTEMS
 TYPES OF INTER-CROPPING
 ADVANTAGES
 PRINCIPLES OF INTERCROPPING
 RESEARCH FINDINGS REGARDING OBJECTIVES
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES

4. INTRODUCTION
Intercropping
- Intercropping is the cultivation of two or
more crops at the same time on the same
field. The most common goal
of intercropping is to produce a greater yield
on a given piece of land by making use of
resources that would otherwise not be
utilized by a single crop.

5. Inter-cropping
Intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops at the same
time in same field
Cabbages and Onion SORGHUM AND PIGEON PEA

6. Why intercrop ?
 1. Stability: Intercropping adds diversity to the cropping
system and diversity tends to lead to stability.
 2. Reduced chemical use. Intercropping may allow for lower
input levels in a cropping system by reducing fertilizer and
pesticide requirements.
 3.Extra yield. Over yielding occurs when the yield produced by
an intercrop is larger than the yield produced by the
component crops grown in monoculture on the same total
land area.

7. Objectives of intercropping systems
 Intercropping was originally practiced as an insurance against crop failure under
rainfall condition.
 At present the main objective of intercropping is higher productivity per unit area
in addition to stability in production.
 Intercropping system utilizes resources sufficiently and their productivity is
increased.
 Insurance against total crop failure under aberrant weather conditions or pest
epidemics.
 Increase in total productivity per unit land area.
 Judicious utilization of resources such as land labour and inputs.

8. Types of Inter-Cropping
a. Mixed intercropping: Growing
two or more crops at the same
time with no distinct row
arrangement.
b. Row intercropping: Growing two
or more crops at the same time
where one or more crops are
planted in rows.
Groudnut+sorghum (6:2)
Maize and soybean

9. C. Strip Inter-cropping:
Growing two or more crops at
the same time in different strips
wide enough to permit
independent cultivation but
narrow enough for the crops to
interact ergonomically.
d. Relay inter-cropping: Growing
two or more crops at the same
time during part of the life cycle
of each. A second crop is planted
after the first crop has reached
its reproductive stage but before
it is ready for harvest.
OAT + SOYABEAN

10. Inter-cropping may be divided into the following
four groups (Singh 1990)
 i) Parallel Cropping: Under this cropping two crops are selected
which have different growth habits and have a zero competition
between each other .
E.g. 1) Green gram or black gram with maize. 2) Green gram or
soybean with cotton.
 ii) Companion Cropping: In companion cropping the yield of one
crop is not affected by other.
E.g.1) Mustard, wheat, potato, etc. with sugarcane 2) Wheat,
radish, cabbage, sugar beat etc., with potato.
Cont.….

11. iii) Multistoried Cropping: or Multi-tire cropping:
Growing plants of different height in the same field at
the same time is termed as multistoried cropping.
e.g. 1) Eucalyptus +Papaya + Berseem )
Multi-tire Cropping: Inter-cropping is mostly prevalent
in plantation crops like coconut and areca nut. The
practice different crops of varying heights, rooting
pattern and duration are called multi-tire cropping.
e .g. Coconut + black pepper + cocoa + pineapple.

12. Advantages
Intercropping gives higher income per unit area than
sole cropping.
Intercrops maintain soil fertility as the nutrient uptake is
made from both layers.
 Reduce soil runoff.
intercropping economizes water use. E.g. Pearl millet +
red grams.
Source :My Agriculture Information Bank

14. Principles of intercropping
Intercrops should occupy a secondary place in the orchard,
primary consideration being given to the perennial fruit trees.
At least 120 cm. radius must be left from the base of the
growing fruit trees for taking intercrops.
Such intercrops should be selected that do not exhaust
the nutrient and moisture from the soil, so essential for
the growth of fruit trees.
Cont.….

15. Perennial or exhaustive crops should be
discouraged as an intercrop in the orchard.
This may have devitalizing effect on the growing
trees. For example, sugarcane, pigeon pea,
maize, jowar should invariably be excluded from
an intercropping programme in the orchard.

16. RESEARCH FINDINGS
REGARDING OBJECTIVES

17. • A field experiment was conducted during the rainy
(kharif) season of 2010 and 2011 at Ludhiana, Punjab
to study the effect of intercrops and different levels of
recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN).
• The main plot treatments comprised Bt cotton
intercropped with fodder maize, fodder cowpea,
summer mungbean, pearlmillet fodder and long melon
and subplot treatments consisted of 5 levels (0, 25, 50,
75 and 100%) of recommended dose of nitrogen
applied to intercrops on area basis.
• The maximum seedcotton equivalent yield recorded
under Bt cotton + fodder maize intercropping system
Experiment on Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

18. Table 1. Effect of different levels of recommended dose of nitrogen
to intercrops on the yield of intercrops (pooled data of 2 years)
%RDN to
intercrops
Maize
(fodder)
Pearlmillet
(fodder)
Cowpea
(fodder)
Mean
0 16.5 22.1 14.4 10.9
25 20.8 26.0 15.9 12.9
50 22.8 29.1 16.7 14.1
75 23.8 30.1 16.9 14.5
100 24.1 30.7 17.0 14.7
Mean 21.6 27.6 16.2
Intercrops yield (t/ha)
Source: Rekha and Dhuria (2010)

19. Table 2. Effect of different intercropping systems to intercrops on opened bolls,
total bolls, boll opening percentage and boll weight of Bt cotton
Treatment Opened
bolls/plant
Total
bolls/plant
Boll opening
%
Boll
weight(g)
Bt cotton + fodder maize 28.9 B 32.7B 88.3 3.60A
Bt cotton + fodder pearlmillet 20.6 C 24.3C 85.0 3.47B
Bt cotton + fodder cowpea 29.5 A 33.6A 87.9 3.66A
Bt cotton + summer mungbean 30.3A 35.1A 86.5 3.68A
Bt cotton +long melon 31.5A 35.7A 88.3 3.68A
RATIO 1 : 1
CD (P=0.05) 3.45 3.49 NS 0.15
Source: Rekha and Dhuria (2010)

20. Table 3. Interaction of intercropping systems and recommended dose
of nitrogen (RDN) to intercrops on seed-cotton-equivalent yield (t/ha)
Bt cotton + fodder maize 2.29A 2.56A 2.69A 2.74A 2.75A
Bt cotton + fodder pearlmillet 1.60C 1.82C 1.95D 1.99E 2.00E
Bt cotton + fodder cowpea 2.24A 2.34A 2.40B 2.41B 2.42B
Bt cotton + summer mungbean 2.06A 2.21B 2.26C 2.29C 2.30C
Bt cotton +long melon 1.92B 2.05B 2.08C 2.09D 2.10D
CD (P=0.05) 0.30 0.30 0.03 0.03 0.07
RDN to intercrops(%)
0 25 50 75 100
Intercropping system (1 : 1)
Ramanjaneyulu and Reddy (2002)

21. CONCLUSION
By using Intercropping soil fertility, nutrient
uptake and income increases per unit area in
comparison to sole cropping

22. References
Cotton Association of India (2008) Cotton statistics and news (Issue No. 42).
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Palchamy A, Purushothaman S, Rajgopal A (1991) Water use of crops grown
in pure and intercropping stands. Indian J Agron 36:300–302
Singh A., Singh T. (2015). Growth, yield and quality of Bt cotton (Gossypium
hirsutum) as influenced by different intercropping systems and nitrogen
levels. Indian Journal of Agronomy, 60 (2): 236-244
Singh R.V., Sharma A.K. and Tomar, (2003) . Weed-control in chickpea (Cicer
arietinum) under late sown condition. Indian Journal of Agronomy 48(2):
114–16.