Growth Performance of Mustard and Chickpea under Different Intercropping Patterns and Nitrogen Fertilizer Levels in North-Western India

Agriculture is a vital economic activity in India’s economy, vital to India’s economy, benefits from intercropping techniques like mustard and chickpea cultivation. This method enhances soil fertility through chickpea’s nitrogen fixation and reduces fertilizer needs. Effective crop management involves optimizing plant growth parameters, which significantly influences yield and economic returns. This experiment employed a Randomized Block Design with 8 treatments having 3 replications to evaluate intercropping strategies between mustard and chickpea. The treatments included sole crops with recommended rates of fertilizers (RDF), and various intercropping ratios and nitrogen levels: Mustard sole (T1), Chickpea sole (T2), Mustard + Chickpea (3:1) with 100 kg/ha (T3), 75 kg/ha (T4), and 50 kg/ha (T5), as well as Mustard + Chickpea (4:2) with 100 kg/ha (T6), 75 kg/ha (T7), and 50 kg/ha (T8). Exactly after 90 days of sowing, mustard plant heights ranged from a maximum of 198 cm in T6 to a minimum of 175.13 cm in T8. For chickpea, T3 achieved the highest height of 41.37 cm, while T5 had the lowest at 34.49 cm. The highest dry matter yield for mustard and chickpea was recorded in T3, showing improvements of 11.83% and 51.18%, respectively, compared to sole crops. The T6 and T3 also achieved the highest chlorophyll indices for mustard and chickpea, respectively. Yield results shows that the 3:1 ratio with 100 kg N/ha produced the highest mustard equivalent yield of 19.26 q/ha, whereas lower nitrogen levels reduced both yields and benefit-cost ratios. Overall, intercropping treatments, particularly with optimal nitrogen levels, enhanced both crop productivity and profitability compared to sole crops.