Impact of STCR approach on productivity and profitability of cowpea-potato-cucumber cropping sequence in Vertisols of Chhattisgarh plains

A field experiment was conducted during 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the Research cum Demonstration Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to evaluate the impact of Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)-based nutrient management on productivity and profitability in a Cowpea-Potato-Cucumber cropping system under Vertisols. The study followed the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on STCR guidelines and employed a fertility gradient approach to examine soil test-yield relationships. Treatments included Control (N₀P₀K₀), Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF), and STCR-based fertilizer doses for each crop. Results revealed significant improvements in crop yields and economic returns with STCR treatments. The highest pooled yield was obtained under the STCR-based treatment applied to all three crops T8 (ST-ST-ST), with cowpea, potato and cucumber yield of 9.55, 25.78 and 5.65 t/ha respectively. Correspondingly, the highest net return (₹567,675/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (3.18) were also recorded under this treatment. Intermediate treatments, where STCR based fertilizers were applied to one or two crops T4 (R-ST-ST), T6 (ST-ST-R) and T7 (ST-R-ST), also performed better than RDF and control treatments, indicating the incremental benefits of partial STCR adoption. The findings confirm that STCR-based nutrient management enhances system productivity, improves nutrient use efficiency, and provides a profitable and sustainable nutrient management approach for intensive cropping systems in Vertisol regions.