Diversified pomegranate-based intercropping systems to enhance productivity, profitability, and soil fertility in semi-arid ecosystems

Diversified intercropping is increasingly recognized as a strategy to enhance the productivity and the sustainability in orchard-based agroecosystems, particularly in water-limited environments. A five-year field experiment (2016–2020) was conducted under semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan, India, to evaluate the agronomic performance, system productivity, economic viability, and soil physicochemical properties under pomegranate-based intercropping systems involving legumes, non-legumes, and vegetables. The experiment was established in a randomized block design with three replications, integrating legumes (green gram and cluster bean), non-legumes (mustard and fenugreek) and vegetables (okra and cabbage) within pomegranate orchards during the kharif and rabi seasons. Intercropping significantly enhanced fruit yield and mustard equivalent yield (MEY) compared with sole pomegranate cultivation. Among the evaluated systems, the pomegranate + green gram–mustard combination recorded the highest MEY (3,738.9 kg ha⁻¹) and land equivalent ratio (2.76), indicating superior land-use efficiency and complementary resource utilization. During the kharif season, pomegranate + okra produced the highest intercrop yield (2,758.6 kg ha⁻¹), whereas in the rabi season, pomegranate + cabbage achieved the maximum yield (18,515.4 kg ha⁻¹) and MEY (3,174.0 kg ha⁻¹). Overall system productivity was greatest in the vegetable-based intercropping system, particularly pomegranate + okra–cabbage system (23,099.2 kg ha⁻¹), followed by pomegranate + cluster bean-fenugreek system (9,921.6 kg ha⁻¹). Economic analysis identified the pomegranate + okra–cabbage system as the most profitable (benefit–cost ratio 1.16), while legume-based systems showed progressive profitability over time. Soil fertility improved notably in legume-based systems, with available nitrogen increasing up to 277 kg ha⁻¹ and soil organic carbon reaching 7.74 Mg ha⁻¹ after five years. Overall, the results demonstrate that diversified intercropping in pomegranate orchards enhances productivity, profitability, and soil fertility while maintaining comparable fruit yield across most intercropping systems. Intercropping should be preferred over sole pomegranate cultivation in semi-arid regions to enhance system productivity and resource use efficiency.