INTER CROPPING AND SEQUENTIAL CROPPING IN POTATO Next

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Cropping system Short duration and wide flexibility in planting and harvesting time in potato help in adjusting for various intensive cropping systems prevalent in the country. There are some varieties that can give sizable yield in just 65 70 days under assured irrigation and congenial night temperatures and these fit well in diversified cropping systems. Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, jute, pulses and vegetables are some of the major crops in the potato growing regions. Potato based cropping systems involving these crops have been developed and evaluated. The important crop sequences involving potato are shown in Fig 1. Next Previous End

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Remunerative potato based cropping systems Biharsharif (Bihar): Raising early potatoes as well as seed potatoes, multiple cropping has been practiced since olden times. Sequential cropping system: Maize (Kharif)-early potato (Autumn)-late potato(Winter)-minor millet (summer. Maize-potato-onion, maize-potatotomato were more profitable than the 2 crop maize-wheat rotation. Sesbania (green manure)-potato (early or seed crop)-wheat (preferably transplanted - Most profitable, because of the inclusion of the greenmanure crop in the sequence. Next Previous End

§ Wheat can be grown in sequence or as intercrop with potato. § Intercropping of wheat in between potato rows (wheat is sown in furrows after earthing up to potato) is advisable. § Potato can fit in two-rice crops or rice - jute system in north-eastern plains. § With sugarcane, potato can fit in sequence with spring sugarcane or as intercrop with autumn or ratoon sugarcane. § Intercropping involving crops like potato, onion, garlic, fennel, French been etc. is also common. § An intensive crop rotation maize (kharif crop) - potato (autumn crop) - wheat (spring crop) kharif maize - autumn potato - wheat (spring crop) green gram (summer crop). § In this sequential system, kharif-maize-autumn potato could be sown/planted at the optimum time. Next Previous End

§ Green gram sown after wheat harvest often failed to form or mature pods at Ludhiana. § Maize and sorghum depressed the yield of the succeeding potato crop, whereas pearl millet did not depress it. § Performance of wheat after potato harvest could be improved by sowing in the standing potato crop § Green gram as intercrop in wheat increase the total productivity. § In Uttar Pradesh, sugarcane inter planted between potato rows in autumn resulted a little reduction in potato yield § Potato inter cropped between sugarcane gave extra yield of tubers without affecting then yield of sugarcane Next Previous End

§At Lucknow, Kufri Sindhuri gave higher tuber yield than Kufri Chandramukhi in intercropping system. §At Jalandhar, sugarcane (autumn) - potato (inter crop) - onion is remunerative with additional yields of potato and onion § In Sikkim, Potato is generally grown in the intensive cropping system. It is rotated mostly in one year rotation. § At higher elevation i. e. above 2500 m MSL potato is generally mono cropped. Next Previous End

Other common cropping patterns Ø Potato-Maize-Millet Ø Potato-Maize-Paddy Ø Potato-Maize-Pulses Ø Potato-Paddy Ø Potato-Pulses Next Previous End