Evaluating bio-intensive cropping systems for enhanced profitability and sustainability in garden land ecosystems

Mounting challenges such as excessive use of synthetic inputs, poor resource use efficiency and declining soil health undermine the sustainability of conventional agriculture. Bio-intensive complementary cropping, an ecologically sound approach offers a sustainable alternative by integrating synergetic crop species and their integration with appropriate nutrient management boost productivity and improves soil health. In this context, the present study was conducted in a split-plot design with four main plots and five subplots, replicated thrice to assess the performance of different bio-intensive complementary cropping. Results revealed that maize intercropped with cowpea and sunnhemp recorded the highest productivity with cotton equivalent yield of 2556 kg/ha. This system also showed greater competitiveness with a land equivalent ratio of 1.13, indicating a clear advantage over sole cropping. Among the nutrient management practices, application of 50 % recommended NPK through chemical fertilizers along with 50 % recommended N through vermicompost on N equivalent basis and 5 % fermented fish extract as foliar spray showed the most significant improvement with soil available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium reaching 209.5, 14.7 and 622.3 kg/ha, respectively. The study concludes that bio-intensive system involving legumes, green manures integrated with organic amendments plays a significant role in enhancing agricultural sustainability. Among the tested combinations, maize intercropped with cowpea and sunnhemp supplemented with 50 % NPK through chemical fertilizers and 50 % N through vermicompost along with 5 % fermented fish extract foliar spray resulted in highest cotton equivalent and nutrient uptake. This integrated approach not only significantly increases the productivity of the system but also improved soil health by boosting nutrient availability and enhanced resource use efficiency.