Production potential and soil health of diversified production system of hill and plateau region of eastern India

A field experiment was conducted at the Farming System Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand during 2016–19 on acidic soil to evaluate the production potential, competitive indices and economics of ten diversified cropping systems. Results revealed that rice equivalent yield of intercropping with finger millet+horse gram (7.4 t/ha) was recorded significantly higher compared to finger millet+black gram (6.7 t/ha), rice+black gram (5.55 t/ha), rice+horse gram (5.83 t/ha) and sole rice cropping (1.54 t/ha). Higher gross return (₹285441/ha), net return (₹217159/ha), B:C ratio (4.18), economic efficiency (₹595/ha/day), crop productivity (20.3 kg/ha/day) were recorded with finger millet+horse gram, which was significantly higher as compared to finger millet+black gram, rice+black gram, rice+ horse gram and sole rice cropping. Significantly higher land equivalent ratio (2.42) was noted with rice+black gram over rice+horse gram, finger millet+blackgram and finger millet+horse gram. Higher positive aggresivity index (0.22) was recorded with rice+blackgram. Diversified production systems with finger millet+ horse gram had more monetary advantage index (₹153100/ha) over finger millet+black gram, rice+black gram and rice+horsegram. Thus, finger millet+horsegram was noted the most productive, resource-use efficient and remunerative cropping system under rainfed production system of hill and plateau region of eastern India.