Development of Guava + Pineapple Two Tier Cropping System under Rain-Fed Ecosystem of Jharkhand Province of India

Aims: In the present agricultural scenario in India, the major thrust is to increase crop productivity with judicious fertilizer application so as to ensure sustainability in crop like fruit production system. Eastern plateau region of India provides ample opportunity for fruit cultivation in monoculture or multitier cropping under rain-fed ecosystem and mulching as moisture conservation.

Study Design: In this production system, Guava L-49 was collected from our own farm where as Pineapple Kew was procured from state farm of Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) India. A field trial with two crops with four level of fertilizers and three levels of mulching was laid out in Split-plot Design and ANOVA’s were calculated.

Place and Duration of Study: From three years study (2008-2010) two tier cropping system of guava + pineapple has become promising and profitable to the farmer of ICAR-RCER, Ranchi region for its early returns with crop diversification. This was the first kind of growing intercrop pineapple with guava simultaneously from very beginning at Research Centre, Ranchi in India.

Methodology: 10 fruits of guava and 4 fruits of pine apples are taken as a replication sample. TSS was measured by ATAGO digital refractometer, total and reducing sugar was measured by Lane and Eynon method. Available soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potash were estimated by Alkaline KMNO4, NaHCO3extraction and NH4OAC extraction methods, respectably. Organic carbon in the soil was estimated by Walkley and Black method whereas soil EC and pH were analyzed by 1:2 soil water suspension method.

Results: Study revealed that F3 fertilizer treatment i.e., 100% pineapple and 50% recommended fertilizer dose of guava along with local weed mulching accounted for maximum fruit production 3.6 q pine apple +3.2 q guava from one acre in the third year (2010). Plastic mulching induces early flowering and improve fruit quality regarding total sugar to both of the crops. The highest total soluble solids (TSS) 13.8° B in pineapple crop are observed in third year and the maximum TSS of 12.2°B was recorded in winter guava and total sugar per cent was 6.92. Fruit quality of rainy season guava did not differ significantly among treatments.

Conclusion: Development of Guava + Pineapple two tier cropping system provided the maximum production of fruits crops from marginal land. Local weed mulching increases high sugar content of both the fruits but plastic mulch causes early flowering. F3 treatment (100% recommended fertilizer dose of pineapple and 50% recommended fertilizer dose of Guava) resulted in higher production of both the crops with local weed mulching and sufficed nutrients to guava in intercropping system.