ECONOMIC POTENTIALITY OF TARO CV. LATIRAJ UNDER DIFFERENT MULTIPURPOSE TREE BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at the Agroforestry and Environment Research Farm, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur, during February to May2018 to evaluate the economic potentiality of taro latiraj under different multipurpose tree based agroforestry production system with control. The experiment was conducted in established MPTs woodlot. The experiment was laid out in single factor Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The modern popular variety of taro was used in this experiment namely latiraj. The treatments were T1 (sole cropping of latiraj), T2 (latiraj + gora neem), T3 (latiraj + kalo koroi) and T4 (latiraj + mango). Seedlings of latiraj were sown in in 27th February 2018 maintaining the distance line to line 50 cm and plant to plant distance 50 cm. From growth and yield parameters, at 90 DAP the highest (87.88 cm) plant height was recorded in latiraj + gora neem based agroforestry production system and the lowest plant height (81.84 cm) was recorded in control treatment. Significantly the highest Stolon number (29.50) was noted in sole cropping of latiraj production system followed by (25.67) was collected from latiraj + kalo koroi based agroforestry production system and the lowest number of Stolon (19.17) was recorded in latiraj + mango based agroforestry production system, respectively. Significantly the highest Stolon yield (10.08 tha-1) was weighted in sole cropping of latiraj production system which was identical to (9.85 tha-1) found in latiraj + kalo koroi based agroforestry production system. On the other hand, the lowest Stolon yield (3.49 tha-1) was measured in latiraj + mango based agroforestry production system. From economic point of view, the maximum net return (425365 tk/ha) was recorded in latiraj + kalo koroi based agroforestry production system and the minimum net return (180965 tk/ha) was calculated from latiraj + mango based agroforestry production system. Finally, the highest benefitcost ratio 4.72 was recorded from latiraj + kalo koroi based agroforestry production system followed by BCR 3.73 found in latiraj sole cropping production and the lowest benefit-cost ratio 1.74 was observed in latiraj + mango based agroforestry production system. The results indicated that latiraj in association with kalo koroi returned 4.72 taka in investment of 1 taka in a hectare of land for one year. Finally, this finding may help to progress the latiraj production in the vacant space of multipurpose partial shaded trees specially in Albizia lebbeck.