Ecological Evaluation of Intercropping and Organic– Inorganic Nutrient Integration for Sustainable Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Production

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a dynamic legume crop for both food and nutritional security; nevertheless, its productivity in India persists low equated to global norms. Traditional practices, sole dependence on chemical fertilizers and deprived soil health limit yield improvements. Though intercropping and integrated nutrient management (INM) are standard as sustainable approaches, there is inadequate evidence on their collective effects on chickpea growth, yield and economic feasibility under semi-arid Trans-Gangetic Plains. This research experiment addressed the gap by assessing chickpea-based intercropping with diverse INM practices. A two-year field study (rabi 2023 and 2024) was carried out at G.D. Goenka University, Haryana, in a split-plot design with three replications. Treatments comprised of four intercropping systems [sole chickpea, chickpea + oats, chickpea + mustard, and chickpea + barley (3:2 row ratio)] and three INM practices [100% RDF, 50% RDF + 50% vermicompost, and equal mixture of FYM + compost + vermicompost]. Growth attributes (plant height, leaves, branches, nodules), yield attributes (grain, straw, harvest index) and monetary attributes (gross and net returns, B:C ratio) were assessed. Mustard-based intercropping pointedly enhanced growth attributes, with maximum plant height, leaf count, branching and nodulation when compared to oats and barley systems. Integrated nutrient management with 50% RDF + 50% vermicompost resulted in the maximum growth and yield responses, while sole dependence on chemical fertilizers was the least effective. Sole chickpea attained the maximum grain yield (21.46 q/ha), but mustard intercropping under INM produced analogous performance with sophisticated system stability. Straw yield and harvest index trailed similar trends. Economic analysis revealed that the mustard × INM produced the highest gross return (1,93,585.5/ha), net return (1,46,452.4/ha), and B:C ratio (3.51).Mustard-based intercropping cohesive with balanced nutrient management occurred as the most effective approach for refining chickpea growth, yield, viability and sustainability under semi-arid conditions.