Performance of coconut based cropping systems for sustainable productivity under Coastal Ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh
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Date
2004-12
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Abstract
Two coconut based multispecies cropping systems consisting of Model-I (Coconut + Cinnamon + Pepper + Cocoa + Banana + Pineapple + E.F.Yam + Colocasia + Turmeric) and Model-II (Coconut + Pepper + Banana + Pineapple + E.F.Yam + colocasia + Turmeric) were evaluated comparing with coconut monocropping system (Model-III) for coconut yield, nut quality and sustained productivity and economic viability for four consecutive years (1999-2003) at ARS, Ambajipeta. Data on mean nut yield/palm/year revealed that the highest yields were registered by the palms of Model-I (102.7 nut/palm/ year) followed by Model-II (96.47 nut/palm/year) compared to only 7 1.14 nut/palm/year in Model-III (monocropping) accounting for an yield increase of 35.60 to 44.36 per cent. Data on annual nut yield exhibited a gradual increase year after year from 1999- 2000 up to 2002-03 indicating the sustainability of the cropping system. The nut yield increased, by 27.04 per cent in Model-I and 18.47 per cent in Model-II compared to only 3.63 per cent in Model-III prior to the experimental values. The economic analysis and employment generation studies revealed that the maximum returns and maximum number of mandays/ha/year were obtained from Model-I (Rs.47,589 and 680 mandays) followed by Model-II (Rs. 39,496 and 569 mandays) with Model-III putting up the lowest returns and mandays (Rs. 9,477 and 166 mandays). Considering the monetary returns and sustainability of the coconut yields, cropping system Model-I followed by Model-II were found suitable and these models may be recommended to the coastal ecosystem of AP.
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Keywords
Coconut based cropping systems, Sustainability, Cocoa, Banana, Employment, Economic analysis
Citation
Journal of Plantation Crops 32(Suppl.) December 2004: 240-244