Production Efficiency and Agro-Economic Analysis of Sugarcane+blackgram Intercropping System under Tropical Indian Conditions

Intercropping in sugarcane allows more profitable land usage, and in Tamil Nadu, blackgram has been reported to be compatible with sugarcane. Participatory on-farm research trials comprising two treatments: sole sugarcane and sugarcane+blackgram intercropping (1:2) were conducted in the farmers’ fields during 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Erode district of Tamil Nadu, India. The results of the experimentation on cane equivalent yield, production efficiency, economic efficiency, gross returns, net returns and benefit cost ratio were statistically analyzed using a randomized block design. To achieve spatial intensification, an additive design of intercropping was followed, wherein, the base crop’s recommended plant population (sugarcane) was retained, and blackgram was introduced into the sugarcane inter-row spacing. Sugarcane+blackgram intercropping gave significantly more CEY (143.20 and 134.73 t ha-1) than sugarcane alone (127.58 and 122.30 t ha-1). Further, its production efficiency (392.37 and 369.13 kg cane day-1) was 12.24% and 10.17% higher than sole sugarcane cropping during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. The gross (Rs. 375191 and 353001 ha-1) and net returns (Rs. 174944 and 146674 ha-1), and B: C ratios (1.88 and 1.71) were significantly higher with sugarcane+blackgram intercropping than that of sole cropping. Besides, intercropping also recorded (Rs. 479.30 and 401.85 ha-1day-1) 30.54% and 22.04% higher economic efficiency than mono sugarcane cropping in both the years of experimentation. Thus, sugarcane+blackgram intercropping was found and economically viable than sole sugarcane.