MSc

An experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during 1983-84 to study the Possibility of raising a second intercrop in sequence in a cassava based intercropping system and to identify the most suitable planting geometry. The experiment with thirteen treatment was carried out in RBD with three replications under rainfed conditions.
Among the growth characters of cassava only leaf area index showed significantly lower values in intercropped plots at certain stages of growth.
Among the yield attributes only number of tubers per plant was influenced by planting geometry and intercrops. Though the above practices influenced tuber yield and top yield, utilisation index was not affected by treatments.
Dry matter and crude protein contents of tubers and distribution of nutrients in cassava remained unaffected by the treatments.
Leaf area index in groundnut and height, number of branches, number of functional leaves and leaf area index in French beans raised as second intercrop were influenced significantly by spatial arrangements at all stages of growth.
Pod number and pod yield of groundnut and green pod yield of French beans were affected by spatial arrangements.
Spatial arrangements had no effect on the distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the bhusa of groundnut and nitrogen and phosphorus in the bhusa of French beans (first intercrop) and phosphorus in the bhusa of French Beans (Second intercrop). However, potassium content in the bhusa of French beans(first intercrop)and nitrogen and potassium content s in the bhusa of French beans (second intercrop)were affected by spatial arrangements.
The bhusa of first intercrops (ground nut and French beans) incorporated larger quantities of nitrogen and potassium in to soil compared to second intercrops (French beans). Bhusa of ground nut (first intercrops) incorporated larger quantities of phosphorus in to the soil compared to bhusa of French beans (both first and second intercrops).
No significant difference was observed on the total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium contents of the soil after the experiment.
The treatment in which French beans were raised as first intercrops with cassava in paired rows recorded highest values for land equivalent ratio, and the treatment in which groundnut was raised as intercrop with cassava in ordinary method recorded lowest value for LER.
The highest profit was obtained from the treatment in which two intercrops of French beans were raised in sequence in the interspaces of cassava in paired rows.
The result indicated that French beans was the most profitable intercrop in cassava.