An analysis of yield variation among long-duration pigeonpea genotypes in relation to season, irrigation and plant population

Abstract

The response of eight long-duration pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.] genotypes to irrigation was studied at Gwalior in Central India during the 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 growing seasons on an Inceptisol. The crop was grown at two spacings as it was expected that crop density could interact with the crop's ability to extract soil moisture. The irrigation treatment received furrow irrigation four times during the 1990-91 and 1992-93 seasons and twice during the 1991-92 season. Grain yields of all genotypes were 11 % higher when planted at higher density than at low density. There was a differential variation in yield and harvest index among genotypes due to season but not due to spacing and irrigation suggesting the validity of the present approach of testing genotypes under optimum conditions. Grain yield declined by 21 % from the 1990 to 1992 season. The decline was 1 t\ha in some cultivars (ICPL 366, GW3), and between 0n5 and 1n0 t\ha in others (NP [WR] 15, ICP 87143 and ICPL 84072). In others (Bahar, ICP 9174, ICP 8860) the yield fluctuation was 0n5 t\ha. The genotypes' mean yields were as high as 2n7 t\ha for ICPL 87143, ICPL 84072 and ICPL 366. There was a significant reduction in both grain yield (16 %), and also above-ground plant dry mass (18 %) due to soil moisture limitation in the unirrigated treatment. Both the above-ground plant dry mass and grain yields were significantly more at high plant density than at lower plant density especially with irrigation. The genotypes were found to differ in their response to production environment (irrigation, spacing and to the undefined differences of the 3 years). Genotypic variation in yield within a production environment was found to vary in relation to changes in harvest index and across environment (irrigation, seasons) due to variation in total dry matter production. A lack of negative relationship between the total dry matter and harvest index suggests the possibility of optimizing both for obtaining higher yield from long-duration genotypes.

Performance of Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.] under Rainfed Condition of Telangana through Nipping Technology

“…The harvest index was significantly higher with 27,777 plants ha -1 over the other treatments. Mula et al, 2013 planting distance 150 cm x 50 cm generated the highest mean height of 228 cm at 50% flowering, weight of dry biomass of 0.25 kg per plant, 359 pods per plant, 3.32 seeds per pod, 14.55 g of 100 seed weight, and yield per plant of 98.61 g revealing that wider spacing has not influenced the increased in seed yield of ICPA 2043 which confirms to the findings of Kumar et al, 2001. In contrast, Alse et al, 2017 numbers of pods plant -1 found to be increased with every increase in inter row spacing from 90 to 120 cm.…”

Evaluation of Selected Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) Genotypes for Resistance to Insect Pest Complex in Dry Areas of North Rift Valley, Kenya

“…Many reasons account for the increased interest in the crop but the most important is its high nutritional value comprising of proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it the best solutions to protein-calorie malnutrition in the developing world and a source of dietary protein mainly in vegetarian based diets [1]. It grows well even on less fertile soil due to its ability of fixing about 40kg of nitrogen per season [2] to the soil and access bound phosphorus in the soil due to presence of piscidic acid exudates that solubilize phosphorus in the rhizosphere [3]. Despite these importance, the average global productivity of pigeonpea has remained static over the last three decades [4].…”

Farm‐scale assessment of maize–pigeonpea productivity in Northern Tanzania

“…The extended period of growth ensures that the greatest demand for water and nutrients in pigeonpea occurs after maize has been harvested (Dalal 1974). The relatively deep root system enables pigeonpea to exploit moisture from deeper soil layers, effectively withstanding the dry conditions encountered at later stages of growth (Kumar Rao et al 2001). In addition to direct consumption of green pigeonpea pods for food, there is a good market for the dry grain (Löfstrand 2005).…”