Herbage yield and quality of Neel (Indigofera tinctoria L.) as influenced by shade levels and planting dates
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Keywords:
Neel, Indigofera tinctoria, Growing conditions, Shade tolerance, Planting dates, IndicanAbstract
Experiments were carried out to study the effect of shade levels and planting dates on herbage yield and quality of Neel (Indigofera tinctoria L.) during 2012 - 13, 2013 - 14 and 2014 - 15 at Thrissur, Kerala, India. The design was split plot with three main plots and three sub plots. The main plot treatments included three levels of shade viz. 25 %, 50 % and open condition and sub plot treatments included three dates of planting viz. 2nd week of August, 2nd week of September and 2nd week of October. The pooled analysis of three year data showed that, Indigofera tinctoria can perform well in 25 per cent shaded condition with the highest herbage yield of 5498 kg/ha followed by open condition (5150 kg/ha). The herbage yield decreased significantly with increase in shade. August or September planting recorded higher herbage yield (5279 kg/ha in August planting and 5246 kg/ha in September planting). The quality of Indigofera, as indicated by content of glycoside indican, was higher in plants grown under open condition and 25 per cent shaded condition (59.12 and 58.83 kg/ha, respectively). Interaction effect of shade levels and planting dates indicated that Indigofera can be planted either in August or in September under open to 25 per cent shaded condition for getting maximum herbage yield and quality.
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