Economic Optimization of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Cultivation through Canopy Management in a Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) Based Agrisilviculture System of Central India

Abstract

Agrisilviculture systems that integrate multipurpose trees with agricultural crops offer smallholder farmers diversified income streams; however, optimal canopy management for economic returns requires empirical quantification. A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2014-15 in a 16-year-old Dalbergia sissoo DC. (Shisham) plantation at the research farm of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (23 deg N, 79 deg E; 411.78 m a.m.s.l.), to determine the economic viability of turmeric (Curcuma longa L., var. Suroma) cultivation under four pruning intensities (P0 - no pruning, P1 - 25%, P2 - 50%, P3 - 75%) and three nutrient supply treatments (T1 - NPK fertilizer, T2 - organic manure, T3 - vermicompost), along with an open (no-tree) control. Economics were quantified as cost of cultivation, gross monetary return (GMR), net monetary return (NMR), and benefit:cost (B:C) ratio on a per-hectare basis. The maximum GMR (Rs. 2,96,047 ha-1) and NMR (Rs. 1,64,491 ha-1) were recorded under P1+T1 (25% pruning + NPK fertilizer), followed by P1+T2 (NMR: Rs. 1,55,533 ha-1). The mean B:C ratio was highest under P1 (2.14) and lowest under open condition (1.44). The integrated crop+tree system under P1 yielded approximately 2.7 times the NMR of open (crop-alone) condition, clearly demonstrating the economic superiority of managed agrisilviculture. A pruning intensity of 25% of D. sissoo canopy, combined with NPK fertilization, is recommended for economic optimization of turmeric cultivation in central India.