Growth, yield and economics of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides L. Nash) under intercropping system

• Vetiver is a high value essential oil crop, used in perfumery and cosmetic industries.
• In field experiments different vetiver based intercropping systems were evaluated.
• Intercropping of sweet basil–radish–Tagetes with vetiver was highly productive.
• Above system also gave LER (1.34), LUE (120%) and a net return of US$ 4801.7 ha−1.

Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) is a high value essential oil crop, used as fixative in perfumery and cosmetic industries. Besides, the crop is also used to check soil erosion, water conservation, and reclamation of salt affected soils. Being vetiver a wider spaced crop with a long initial lag phase, thus the only option to sustain its productivity is intercropping. In a field experiment conducted during July, 2010–February, 2012 and July, 2012–February, 2014 at Lucknow, 13 cropping systems: sole crop of each of vetiver, sweet basil–radish–Tagetes minuta, black gram–clarysage, kalmegh–garlic, okra–radish–geranium, pigeon pea–menthol mint, maize–radish–onion and intercropping of above cropping sequences with vetiver were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications. Intercropping of sweet basil–radish–T. minuta with vetiver during rainy and winter seasons though reduced vetiver oil yield by 16.7% but was highly productive in terms of land equivalent ratio (1.54), land use efficiency (130%) and relative net return (1.35) and a net return of US$ 4801.7 ha−1 followed by intercropping of maize–radish–onion with vetiver. The system also gave about 35% more profit over the sole cropping of vetiver.