Response of piper longum in coconut gardens to differential spacing and manurial regimes

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 1994-95 in the KADP farm of the College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, to evaluate the response of piper longum as an intercrop in coconut gardens to differential spacing and manorial regimes. The experiment was laid out in randomised block design with three replications. The study revealed that plant height, number of branches, number of leaves and total dry matter increased with higher dose of organic manure and 30:30:60 NPK kg ha-1. The optimum spacing was found to be 50 x 50 cm. the above treatment recorded the maximum number of spikes and total dry spike yield (449 kg ha-1). The NPK content of spikes was more than vegetative parts. The nitrogen content decreased as the crop grew but phosphorus content increased and potassium content remained more or less same. The uptake of N,P and K was highest in fertilizer applied plots. The total alkaloid yield was highest in the treatment receiving 50 x50 cm spacing, 20 t ha-1 organic manure and 30:30:60 NPK kg ha-1. The organic and inorganic fertilizers and their combinations did not have any significant effect on the chemical properties of soil. However the plots receiving inorganic fertilizers alone showed a reducing trend in available N, P and K. Thippali cultivation involves high investment for planting material and maintenance and harvesting are also labour intensive. The labour cost in Kerala is very high. It is a crop which requires a periodical harvesting (maximum yield in July –August and October – November months) and care should be taken to harvest only the mature spikes. Thippali being a perennial crop, no net return could be obtained in the first year of planting. The yield level indicated that it should be a profitable crop from the second year of planting.