Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 October 2008
Studies were carried out at Kalyani during 1982–83 and 1983–84 to evolve a multiple cropping system with cotton as the main crop. Cotton was intercropped with paddy, greengram, blackgram, peanut and soyabean in the rainy season, and these were also grown as solccrops followed by crops of peanut, lentil, chickpea, wheat and mustard, respectively, in the winter season. All plots were subsequently cropped with sesame in the summer season. There was an increase in total grain yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER) and relative net return (RNR) values when legumes and cereals were intercropped with cotton. The yield of the winter crops grown with the help of residual soil moisture was in the order: chickpea > mustard > lentil > wheat > peanut. Sesame yielded best after the chickpea and blackgram sequence and yielded almost as well after the lentil and greengram. The greatest net return was obtained from the cotton and paddy (1:1) intercrop followed by sesame.