Year : 1976-77

a) An experiment to investigate the feasibily of raising a sugar beet crop with autumn planted sugarcane, without significantly affecting cane yield was laid out in field No. E-3/72. The details of the experiment are as given in Table IV.

Table IV. Experiment - Companion Cropping : Sugarcane + Beet.

Variety : Cane - Co 6415

Plot size - 150 sq. metres

Beet : Magnopoly

Replication - Five.

Date of Planting - Cane nursery - 18th Sept. 76

Date of harvesting -

Cane transplanting - 15th Oct. 76

Cane - cane to be harvested in November 1977.

Beet sowing - 20th Oct. 76

Beet - 18th March 1977.

By the beginning of December the beet crop started over shadowing the cane in treatment C. Consequently the tillering in cane was poorer than in the other treatments. It may perhaps be possible to over come this difficulty by transplanting the cane by the middle of September so as to give it a lead of a month over the beet. In that case, however, there is a possibility that by the middle of March the cane will start shading the beet. The shading effect of cane on beet may not affect beet yield as much as the shading of cane by beet may affect cane yield. The harvesting of beet may perhaps present some problem, as the cane crop will not permit use of any animal or tractor drawn implement for harvesting beet.

The beet crop did well in general, despite some damage from cut worms, cercospora and root rot suspected to be due to born deficiency.

b) With a view to working out profitable companion cropping patterns suited to North Karnataka, an experiment was laid out in field No. 18/72 as per details given in Table V.

Table V. Experiment Companion Cropping Patterns.

Variety : Cane - Co 6415

Plot size : 13.5 M x 14 M.

Moong : Baisakhi

Moong : 1st Picking - 14th Dec. 1975

1975

Replication : Four

Groundnut : TMV-2

Date of Harvest : Cane - 15th Oct. 1976

Onion : Pusa red.

Date of planting : Cane nursery : 1st Sept. 1975

2nd picking - 26th Dec.

Cane transplant : 8th Oct. 1975

Groundnut : 2nd Feb, 1976

Groundnut sown : 10th Oct. 1975

Onion : 10th January 1976.

Moong sown : 10th Oct. 1975

Onion nursery : 1st Sept. 1975

Onion Transplanted : 10th Oct. 1975.

Treatments : A) Autumn planted cane along

B) Autumn planted cane + Moong

C) Autumn planted cane + Groundnut

D) Autumn planted cane + Onion

Fertilizer : Cane - N - 200 Kg/ha in 4 equal split

Schedule:

P - 75 Kg/ha basal

K - 100 Kg/ha basal

Moong ) N - 20 Kg/ha basal

Groundnut ) P - 20 Kg/ha basal

Onion ) K - 20 Kg/ha basal

In the sugarcane + moong plots two rows of moong were sown 15 cm. apart on the flattened tops of ridges and in the sugarcane + onion plots two rows of onion seedlings were transplanted 15 cm apart. In the case of Groundnut, however, the number of rows was reduced to one, to compensate for the longer period this crop would occupy the field. Such a compensation was not considered necessary in the case of Onions because the shading effect in this case would be negligible. Fertilizer for the companion crop was applied at the top of the redge between the two rows of the crop and fertilizer for the cane was applied at the bottom of the furrow. From the data in table V it is seen that, there has been a marginal, though statistically non-significant increase in the yield of cane in treatment B and a marginal decrease in yield in treatment C. This tends to prove that the decision to limit the number of rows of groundnut between adjacent rows of cane to one, was well taken. Treatment D had no effect on the cane yield. None of the treatments affected the juice quality in cane adversely. All three crop combinations have resulted in increased returns from land per unit area per unit time, the return from treatment C being amount Rs. 1,000/- less than in the other two cases. The relative profitability of different crop combination is however subject to considerable variation from year to year depending on the price level of different agricultural commodities. Moong perhaps has an edge over onion as a companion because of the relative ease with which it can be handled and stored.