A modified alley cropping system of agroforestry in South Andaman Islands: an analysis of production potential and economic benefit

Abstract

A study was conducted during 2001–07 to know production potential and economic benefit of a modified alleycropping system of agroforestry in humid climate of South Andaman Island of India. In the modified alley cropping system highly remunerative perennial crop black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) was grown on the double hedgerows (20 m long) of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. whereas maize (Zea mays L.) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) in the alleys (4 m wide) during rainy season (June–August) and post-rainy season (September–November) during the second respectively for seven consecutive years. Dimensions of the double hedgerows in the modified alley cropping system were: height 2.5 m and canopy width 3.0 m. Yields in maize and okra were maximum (5.04 tonnes/ha and 7.47 tonnes/ ha, respectively) for the first cropping year, which declined to 2.14 tonnes/ha and 5.89 tonnes/ha, respectively during the sixth cropping year. On the contrary, production in black pepper was the lowest (0.21 tonnes/ha) during the second and the highest (2.38 tonnes/ha) during the seventh cropping year. Investment in maize (`19 581/ha) and okra (`30 179/ ha) did not differ among the cropping years. But, in black pepper, investment was maximum (`44 to 32 thousand / ha) for two cropping years in the beginning and declined to `11 880 to `15 675/ha from the third year onwards. Economic analysis revealed that net profit from the black pepper was negative for the first and second cropping year (`44 399 and `6 630 / ha, respectively) in the beginning, but okra alone compensated it. From the third cropping year black pepper alone not only compensated its establishment cost, but also earned a reasonably good income for `97 082 / ha. Moreover, net return in black pepper over the seven cropping years of the experiments were `12 97 292 that not only compensated the negative returns from the system, but also made the alley cropping system 4.46 times more profitable than without the black pepper.