High economic returns from companion and relay cropping of bread wheat and menthol mint in the winter-summer season in north Indian plains

A total of 17 cropping schedules for the winter (rabi)-summer (zaid) season of north Indian plains were compared for the yield and economics of produce per hectare of land. In comparison to wheat, the sucker-planted mint crop was estimated to bring in a 32% higher income. The co-cultivation of wheat with sucker-planted mint gave 15% more productivity over wheat alone and 70% over mint alone. The relay cropping of wheat followed by transplanted mint had the highest productivity, 45% higher than that of co-cultivated wheat and mint. The cultivar HD 2285 of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and Himalaya/Kosi cultivars of mint (Mentha arvensis L.) were found to fit well in the co-cultivation and relay cropping schedules using wheat and mint crops. The results allowed recommendation of the following rotations for high yield together with resource conservation, permitting intensive agriculture by farmers with small holdings in Indo-Gangetic plains: (1) rice/greengram/blackgram, transplanted basil, wheat + mint, pigeonpea, chickpea, transplanted mint; and (2) pigeonpea, wheat, transplanted mint, rice, transplanted basil, wheat + mint. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.