BIO-ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF CUCUMBER UNDER DIFFERENT TREE BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS AS INFLUENCED BY ORGANIC MULCHING

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Agroforestry and Environment Research Farm, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur, during April to July 2017 to evaluate the performance of cucumber cv. Hybrid geeen bird, Hybrid shezade and Local sufola variety under different tree based agroforestry systems along with sole cropping i.e. open field condition. The experiment was conducted in existing 12 years established tree woodlot. The experiment was laid out in two factors Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments were factor A: four production system viz. T1 (Cucumber sole cropping), T2 (kalo koroi + cucumber), T3 (ghora neem + cucumber) and T4 (mango + cucumber), on the other hand factor B: three cucumber varieties viz. V1 (Hybrid green bird), V2 (Hybrid shehzade) and V3 (local sufola variety). So the treatment combinations were T1 v1, T1 v2, T1 v3, T2 v1, T2 v2, T2 v3, T3 v1, T3 v2, T3 v3, T4 v1, T4 v2 and T4 V3. The unit plot size was 2.5m × 2.5m (6.25 m2 ). Seeds of cucumber were sown in 4 May, 2017. Necessary intercultural operations were done effectively. Albiza lebbeck, Melia azedarach and Mangifera indica tree leaf biomass 2.5kg was used in each experimental plot as organic mulching in agroforestry system except the control treatment. All the organic mulching materials were applied in 15 days after seed germination in the experimental plots. The experimental result revealed that in case of production system significantly the highest fruit weight plant-1 (489.0g) and fruit yield (11.37 tha-1 ) was found in cucumber in sole cropping production system and lowest fruit weight plant-1 (1.667 g) and fruit yield (2.667 tha-1 ) was recorded in cucumber + ghora neem based agroforestry production system. Again in case of varietal performance the highest cucumber fruit yield (7.02 t ha-1 ) was found in (hybrid green bird) followed by (5.64 t ha-1 ) hybrid shehzade and the lowest fruit yield (4.24 t ha-1 ) was observed in local sufola. The highest benefit-cost ratio of 2.68 was recorded from cucumber + kalo koroi (T2) based agroforestry production system followed by cucumber sole cropping production system 2.48 and cucumber + mango (T4) 2.36 based agroforestry production system and the lowest benefit-cost ratio of 2.02 was observed in cucumber + ghora neem (T3) based agroforestry production system. So, cucumber can profitably be cultivated in kalo koroi based agroforestry production systems.