Effect of Harvest Methods - Abstract
J.agric. Sci., Camb. (1987) 109, 591-593
ABSTRACT:
Short-duration pigeonpea can give up to three
harvests in environments with mild winters (eg. minimum temperature
above 10°C) such as those prevailing in peninsular India (Sharma,
Saxena & Green, 1978; Chauhan, Venkataratnam & Sheldrake,
1984). This is mainly due to the short time (about 120 days) taken
to produce the first flush, and the strong perennial character of
pigeonpea. The seed yield of short-duration pigeonpea in this
multiple-harvest system may reach 5.2t/ha (Chauhan et al. 1984).
Venkataratnam & Sheldrake (1985) found that
the yield of the second harvest of medium-duration pigeonpea was
significantly influenced by the method of harvesting of the first
flush. The lower the plants were cut, the smaller were the
second-harvest yields. A positive relationship between the height at
which the stem was cut and success of ratooning was also reported by
Suarez & Herreara (1971). Tayo (1985), however, found that in
the lowland tropics, plants of a dwarf pigeonpea variety ratooned at
0.3 m had better growth and yield than hand-picked plants; ratooning
at 0.6 m height was intermediate. Information on the effect of
different harvest methods on yield of short-duration pigeonpea in
subtropical, semi-arid environments is not available. The objective
of this study was to obtain this information.