Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L.) Based Intercropping System: A Review

Abstract

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) is a tropical and subtropical leguminous crop it is rich in protein and has high nutrient content and India is the largest producer. Pigeon pea is grown in a sole cropping system as well as with intercropping system it is majorly intercropped with legumes, cereal, and oilseed crops. Intercropping depends upon the interaction of crop species and their management. Intercropping is done between different types of cereals, pulses, and oilseed crops. Some successful cereal and pulse intercropping systems like (mung bean + maize) where, a larger equivalent yield is obtained by seeding maize following four rows of mung beans than by closer spacing. Wheat is mostly intercropped with chickpea, mustard and barley but in irrigated conditions when wheat intercropped with mustard proved more profitable than wheat intercropped with chickpea. In the Mediterranean nation, common vetch (Vicia sativa) is popularly grown with cereals. When maize and cowpea were intercropped in southern Africa, the quantity of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium in the soil was enhanced. Maize and beans are popular in eastern Africa. However, there are many challenges while adopting intercropping for the survival of the plant. In intercropping of pigeon pea when two or more than crops are sown, they show a synergetic effect, and when it is treated with the biofertilizers like Rhizobium, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), it enhances the growth of the plant, fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, availability of phosphorus to the plant increases the uptake of other micro-nutrient to the plant and plant beneficial microbes. When dual inoculation of Rhizobium and AMF is done, chlorophyll content increases in the plant.