Optimizing Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Yield through Canopy Pruning in a Dalbergia sissoo Agrisilviculture System

Abstract

Agrisilviculture systems integrating multipurpose tree species with medicinal and spice crops can improve land productivity and ecological sustainability. However, excessive canopy competition may reduce understorey crop performance, making canopy management essential for optimizing yield. A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2014-15 in a well-established 16-year-old Dalbergia sissoo DC. plantation at the research farm of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (23 deg 18 min N, 79 deg 59 min E; 411.78 m a.m.s.l.), to evaluate the effect of four pruning intensities on the growth, leaf area index (LAI), and rhizome yield of intercropped turmeric (Curcuma longa L., var. Suroma). The experiment was laid out in a Strip Plot Design with four replications. Main treatments comprised P0 (no pruning), P1 (25% pruning), P2 (50% pruning), and P3 (75% pruning) of the D. sissoo canopy, with an open (no-tree) control. Plant height, stem diameter, and LAI were recorded at 30-day intervals from 30 to 180 days after planting (DAP) and at harvest. Yield-attributing characters and fresh rhizome yield (kg ha⁻¹) were recorded at harvest. Results demonstrated that P1 (25% pruning) consistently produced the highest values across all growth and yield parameters. Maximum fresh rhizome yield (3,385.9 kg ha⁻¹) was recorded under P1, followed by P2 (3,221.3 kg ha⁻¹), P0 (3,072.8 kg ha⁻¹), open condition (3,012.9 kg ha⁻¹), and the lowest under P3 (2,960.6 kg ha⁻¹). These findings demonstrate that moderate pruning of the D. sissoo canopy at 25% creates a favourable microenvironment for turmeric production and is recommended for agrisilviculture systems in the Mahakoshal region of central India.