Evaluation of growth and seed yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The field experiment was conducted during rabi 2020 at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Mandya to study the impact of intercropping and nutrient dose on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) growth and seed yield. The results revealed the significant differences for growth and yield parameters of chickpea due to intercropping systems and fertilizer doses. A sole grown chickpea showed significantly higher plant height at harvest (35.73cm), number of pods per plant (42.02), hundred seed weight (23.20 g) and seed yield of chickpea (1733 kg/ha) compared to intercropping of chickpea with sorghum, safflower or linseed. Whereas, among fertilizer doses, application of 150 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) produced noticeably taller plants at harvest (35.51 cm), number of pods (38.38), hundred seed weight (22.53 g) and seed yield of chickpea (1343 kg/ha) compared to other fertilizer doses. Therefore, sole cropping of chickpea with 150 per cent RDF could be recommended for certified seed production programme.