Pigeonpea Apical Dominance is Controlled for Optimum Yield via Nipping and Planting Distance

Abstract

Intensive growth of the pigeonpea crop in Central and South India, caused by adequate rainfall, resulted in taller plants with fewer fruited branches, leading to lower yields. However, pigeonpea crops could produce more pods if they restricted apical growth. Nipping (Cutting off the top growing portion) and planting distances are effective techniques to control apical dominance. Thus, there is a need to explore the benefits of simple techniques like nipping and planting distance, suppressing apical dominance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the best nipping time and planting distance for pigeonpea in a rainfed environment to increase productivity. The experiment was conducted at the Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (Agricultural University), Akola (Maharashtra), India, between 2018 and 2020. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with two factors with three replications. There were three timings of nipping (45 days after planting, 60 days after planting, and no nipping) and four planting distances (90cm x 30cm, 120cm x 30cm, 150cm x 30cm, and 180cm x 30cm). Results indicated that early loss of apical dominance due to the nipping at 45 days after planting resulted in reduced plant height, increased branches, dry-matter accumulation, pods per plant, and markedly increased pigeon pea productivity by 11 percent. In addition, Pigeonpea crops' growth and yield parameters improved when planted at 180cm x 30cm. However, growing pigeonpea at a distance of 90cm x 30cm resulted in significantly higher pigeonpea seed yield, harvest index, and rainwater use efficiency than planting at a wider spacing.