Affirmation of Experimental Results on Groundnut-Based Millet Intercropping System at Farmers Field under Rainfed Condition

The research aims to tackle the issue of low groundnut productivity in rainfed areas and low-fertility marginal lands, which is below the national average, leading to economic constraints for farmers. Millets, known for their resilience, are considered suitable for cultivation in challenging environments. Intercropping, growing multiple crops simultaneously, is recognized as an essential system to mitigate erratic climatic conditions and act as insurance against uncertainties. The experiment evaluates the productivity and profitability of an intercropping system combining groundnut and millets in a rainfed ecosystem. The goal is to provide a sustainable and economically viable option for farmers in such areas by leveraging the robustness of millets and improving agricultural outcomes and resilience to climate-related risks. A field experiment was carried out during Kharif 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Babbur farm, Hiriyur. An experiment was laid out with randomized complete block design (RCBD) with ten treatments and was replicated thrice. Treatments comprises of testing of sole groundnut, finger millet and foxtail millet against intercropping of groundnut with finger millet, little millet and foxtail millet at 5:2 and 6:1 row proportion. The results of pooled data indicated that significantly higher groundnut pod equivalent yield (2123 kg/ha) was recorded with Groundnut + finger millet (5:2) as compared to other treatments. However, significantly higher net returns (Rs. 58532/ha) and B:C ratio (2.55) were recorded with Groundnut + foxtail millet (6:1) as compared to other treatments.