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Factors affecting growth and yield of short-duration pigeonpea and its potential for multiple harvests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Y. S. Chauhan ,
N. Venkataratnam  and
A. R. Sheldrake
Y. S. Chauhan
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru P.O. Andhra Pradesh 502324, India
N. Venkataratnam
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru P.O. Andhra Pradesh 502324, India
A. R. Sheldrake
Affiliation:
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru P.O. Andhra Pradesh 502324, India
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Summary

Environmental and cultural factors that may limit the yield of short-duration pigeonpea were investigated over three seasons. Plants in the peninsular Indian environment at Patancheru grew less and produced less dry matter by first-flush maturity than at Hisar, a location in northern India where the environment is considered favourable for the growth of short-duration pigeonpea. However, with a similar sowing date in June, the mean seed yields of three genotypes, ICPL 4, ICPL 81 and ICPL 87, were very similar, at about 2·3 t/ha, in both environments. This was mainly due to the higher ratio of grain to above-ground dry matter at Patancheru. In addition to the first harvest, all genotypes showed a potential for two more harvests owing to the warm winters at Patancheru. The potential for multiple harvests was particularly high in ICPL 87, which yielded 5·2 t/ha from three harvests in 1982–3, 3·6 t/ha from two harvests in 1983–4, and 4·l t/ha from three harvests in 1984–5. The optimum plant population density at Patancheru was 25–35 plants/m2 for ICPL 87, but was higher for the other two genotypes.

At Patancheru, the total dry-matter and seed yield of first and subsequent harvests were significantly reduced by delaying sowing beyond June. Generally, the second- and the third-harvest yields were lower on vertisol than on alfisol under both irrigated and unirrigated conditions.

The total yield of ICPL 87 from two harvests was far higher than that of a well-adapted medium-duration genotype BDN 1, grown over a similar period. The yield advantage was greater on the alfisol because of the better multiple harvest potential of this soil. The results of this study demonstrate that properly managed short-duration genotypes of pigeonpea may have considerable potential for increased yield from multiple harvests in environments where winters are warm enough to permit continued growth.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 109 , Issue 3 , December 1987 , pp. 519 - 529
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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