Agroforestry Synergy: Maximizing Oat Performance in Semi-Arid Haryana through Melia dubia Intercropping

An experiment was conducted in a farmer's field located in the village Gillan Khera, situated in the western semi-arid region of Haryana's Fatehabad district during the Rabi season of 2021-22. The aim was to assess the performance of three oat varieties (OS-6, OS-7, and OS-403) within a 7-year-old Melia dubia plantation with a spacing of 3m × 3m. The mean values of various tree growth parameters such as tree height (17.8 m), diameter at breast height (59.5 cm), and canopy spread (8.5 m) were found to be higher in agroforestry rather than in the pure stand of Melia dubia after harvest of the crop. Plant growth parameters and yield attributes exhibited significantly higher in open conditions compared to those under the plantation. Among the oat varieties, OS-403 exhibited superior growth traits in all evaluated parameters. Oat variety OS- 403 showed the maximum green fodder and dry fodder yields. Significant increases were observed in parameters such as plant height at different growth stages, number of tillers per meter row length, leaf stem ratio, and leaf area index in OS-403. Conversely, OS-6 showed lower growth parameters and yield in both conditions. Light intensity shows an increase throughout the day, reaching its peak at 2:00 p.m. under both conditions. For example, at 2:00 p.m., light intensity rises from 515.5 lux (30 DAS) to 934.9 lux (maturity) in the average values. The reduction in yield with decreasing spacing may be attributed to the shading effect of trees on crops. However, the long-term accumulation of wood from trees is expected to yield greater economic returns in the future.