Loading...

Research on Crops

Enhancing productivity and resource use efficiency of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) through crop intensification and organic mulch-based management


DOI: 10.31830/2348-7542.2026.ROC-1312    | Article Id: ROC-1312 | Page : 242-247
Citation :- Enhancing productivity and resource use efficiency of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) through crop intensification and organic mulch-based management. Res. Crop. 27: 242-247
NACHIKETA, SANDEEP MENON, AJEET JAKHAD, SAMPRIKTA PRIYADARSHINI, ABHIJEET SHYAMSINGH CHOUHAN, ANNU JAIN, KHUSHBOO AND MANZOOR A KHANDAY nachiketayadav30@gmail.com
Address : School of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-144411, Punjab, India
Submitted Date : 22-04-2026
Accepted Date : 15-05-2026
Online Published:

Abstract

Pigeon pea is a vital legume for sustainable agriculture owing to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and tolerate abiotic stresses; however, productivity under conventional practices remains well below achievable potential. To further evaluate, a field experiment was conducted during the Kharif seasons of 2024 and 2025 at the Department of Agronomy, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India to evaluate the effect of System of Pigeon Pea Intensification (SPPI) and organic mulching on growth, nodulation, and yield. A split-plot design with three replications was used, with three spacing levels (40×20 cm, 60×20 cm and 80×20 cm) as main plots and four mulching treatments (no mulch, wheat straw mulch, sugarcane trash mulch and cowpea live mulch) as sub-plots, using variety AL-882. Pooled analysis across both seasons revealed that 60×20 cm spacing significantly improved growth attributes, including leaf number, chlorophyll content (SPAD), root development, and canopy characteristics, while reducing plant mortality. Among mulching treatments, live mulch enhanced vegetative growth and nodulation, whereas wheat straw mulch recorded the highest grain yield (pooled: 2592 kg/ha), representing a 45.12% improvement over no mulch. The 60×20 cm spacing produced the highest pooled grain yield (2403 kg/ha), which was 18.79% higher than the 40×20 cm treatment. Optimal spacing combined with wheat straw or live mulch is recommended for improving pigeon pea productivity and resource use efficiency under Punjab conditions.

Keywords

Grain yield live mulch nodulation organic mulching pigeon pea sustainable agriculture wheat straw mulch

References

Babu, S., Singh, R., Avasthe, R. K., Yadav, G. S., Das, A., Singh, V. K. and Mohapatra, K. P. (2020). Yield response of pigeon pea to system of intensification and plant growth regulators in Telangana. Int. J. Plant Prod. 14: 421-32.
Choudhary, G. L., Jat, R. S., Meena, R. L. and Meena, V. K. (2021). Growth response of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) to system of intensification and bio-stimulants under arid conditions. Legume Res. 44: 826-32.
FAO. (2025). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
Gour, L., Khandait, V. N. and Singh, H. K. (2023). Population density and yield attributes of new pigeon pea varieties under system of intensification in Rajasthan. Ann. Plant Soil Res. 25: 112-18.
Gurjar, O. P., Jain, N. K. and Nathawat, V. S. (2022). Wheat straw mulching effects on soil moisture, nutrient release, and yield components of pigeon pea under rainfed conditions. Indian J. Agric. Sci. 92: 989-94.
Jatav, M. K., Singh, S. K., Mishra, A. and Kumar, A. (2022). Biological yield, harvest index, and soil properties of pigeon pea as influenced by mulching and nutrient management in central India. Legume Res. 45: 344-51.
Jha, A., Jat, H. S., Datta, A., Choudhary, M. and Sharma, P. C. (2020). Carbon:nitrogen ratio of organic mulches and its influence on soil fertility and leaf area development in grain legumes. Soil Use Manage. 36: 704-16.
Kumar, A., Pandey, V., Shekh, A. M. and Kumar, M. (2019). Plant spacing and canopy architecture effects on light interception, vegetative growth, and yield components of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) under tropical conditions. J. Agron. Crop Sci. 205: 278-90.
Kumar, A., Singh, V. K. and Singh, S. P. (2022). Seed quality improvement in pigeon pea through system of pulses intensification and sulphur nutrition. J. Plant Nutr. 42: 765-77.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. (2025). Agricultural statistics at a glance 2022-23. Directorate of Economics and Statistics, New Delhi, India. https://eands.dacnet.nic.in
Moreno, M. M., Lacasta, C., Meco, R. and Moreno, C. (2018). Organic mulching effects on canopy architecture, light transmission, and photosynthesis in leguminous crops: A meta-analysis. Eur. J. Agron. 96: 54-64.
Nachiketa, Singh, V. and Soni, B. (2023). Growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under agro-climatic zone of Prayagraj, India. Int. J. Environ. Clim. Change 13: 1096-100.
Nath, D. J., Ozah, B., Baruah, R., Barooah, R. C., Bhuyan, J. and Gupta, S. (2021). Soil nitrogen availability, microbial biomass, and leaf chlorophyll content in pigeon pea under different organic mulching treatments. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 52: 877-92.
Parihar, S. S., Parihar, P., Pandya, R. K. and Sirohi, J. N. (2021). Canopy photosynthetically active radiation interception, dry matter accumulation, and yield of pigeon pea at different plant densities. Indian J. Agric. Res. 55: 134-40.
Patel, B. D., Patel, V. J. and Desai, L. J. (2019). System of pulses intensification: Effect on growth parameters of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.). J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem. 8: 1543-47.
Patel, M. M., Singh, A., Meena, R. L. and Choudhary, R. (2022). Live mulch systems in pigeon pea: Soil health, biological nitrogen fixation, and vegetative growth. Agrofor. Syst. 96: 1023-36.
Rajput, R. L. and Patel, M. M. (2018). Economic analysis of system of pigeon pea intensification in Vertisols of Madhya Pradesh. Legume Res. 41: 573-78.
Ramesh, T. and Thirumurugan, V. (2020). Chlorophyll content index, leaf nitrogen status, and yield performance of pigeon pea under varied plant geometries and nitrogen management. Asian J. Agron. 15: 28-35.
Reddy, M. D., Reddy, A. V. and Padmaja, G. (2020). Plant density effects on canopy architecture indices and overlapping index of pigeon pea under different row spacings. Legume Res. 43: 215-22.
Sanabam, T., Palai, J. B., Duvvada, S. K., Ray, S., Dey, J. K., Neeraja, A. and Swathi, N. (2025). Energy and carbon budget of summer groundnut under paddy straw mulching and phosphorus levels in south Odisha. Crop Res. 60: 392-400.
Sarangi, S. K., Bal, A. R. and Bal, S. K. (2022). Organic mulching and harvest index stability in pigeon pea: Evidence from multi-season field experiments. Cereal Res. Commun. 50: 505-15.
Thakur, A. K., Rath, S. and Mandal, K. G. (2017). Yield and yield components of wheat under System of Wheat Intensification in the rice-wheat system of Chhattisgarh. Exp. Agric. 54: 705-23.
Thagunna, S. S. (2024). Exploring organic cultivation methods for black gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper): A review. Farm. Manage. 9: 18-24.
Thorat, T. N., Rajput, R. S. and Singh, S. (2020). Spacing and plant population effects on growth, yield attributes, and grain yield of pigeon pea under rainfed conditions of central India. Indian J. Agron. 65: 345-51.
Vi, L. L.V., Hai, L. H., Linh, T. B. and Thuc, L. V. (2025). Optimizing durian production: impacts of drip irrigation and organic mulching on yield, fruit quality and soil properties. Res. Crop. 26: 298-305.

Global Footprints