Impact of Multistorey System on Yield and Soil Quality of Mustard in Alfisols of Eastern India

Abstract

The productivity of alfisolsare low due to their capacity to retain nutrients is low, and crops grown on these soils are generally shown nutrient deficiencies. In this view, the experiment investigated at Paschim Medinipur district of eastern India during two consecutive Rabi season, 2014-15 and 2015-16, which consisted of the different combination of mustard with mango, gamhar, eucalyptus and also assessed the impact of rainy season crops. Under the sole mustard cropping system, the yield of the mustard crop was recorded higher than other multistoried system. Compared to the sole mustard, soil properties and primary nutrient status were found to be superior under the multistoried system. In a multistorey system, the productivity of mustard crop, soil chemical properties, and nutrient status was found to be improved under mango+ gamhar based system as compared to mango +eucalyptus based system. In a multistorey system, tree components improve the soil chemical properties and improve primary nutrient status, which is an important constituent of Alfisol.