STUDIES ON INTERCROPPING WITH COPPICE SHOOTS OF EUCALYPTUS TERETICORNIS SM.

R.S. Vinaya Rai; C. Swaminathan; C. Surendran

Authors

R.S. Vinaya Rai
C. Swaminathan
C. Surendran

Keywords:

Eucalyptus tereticornis, intercropping with trees, coppice shoots, subterranean competition, competition light

Abstract

Arable crops of sorghum (cv.CO.26), pearl-millet (cv.CO.6) and fodder grass (cv.BN.2) were raised in the spaces between one-year coppiced shoots of Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm. planted on a 2 m² grid. Both crop height and yield were depressed in the intercrop when compared with the monocrop but the magnitude of reduction varied with the crop. Crop height reduction was greatest in sorghum and least in fodder grass. Crop yield impairment was also largest in sorghum (35%) and least in pearl millet (17%) even though the number and size of coppiced shoots of the associated trees were largest for this treatment.