EFFECT OF SPACING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF CABBAGE PRODUCTION UNDER MANGO BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the research field of the Department of Agroforestry and Environment, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, Dinajpur, during January 2024 to April 2024 to evaluate the effect of spacing on the growth and yield of cabbage production under mango-based agroforestry system. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with taking four treatment and three replications. The four different cabbage spacing treatments were: T1 (70cm×55cm), T2 (60cm×45cm), T3 (50cm×35cm), and T4 (40cm×25cm). Therefore, there were total 12 experimental plots (4 treatments x 3 replications) and each plot size for cabbage as understory crop was 2m x 2m. Data were collected at different growth stages (15, 30, and 45 days after transplanting, DAT) and analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test via Statistics 10 software and Microsoft Excel 2013. The results indicated significant differences in growth parameters, yield components, and economic returns among the treatments. T1 exhibited the highest plant height, leaf number, leaf length, and leaf breadth at 15 and 30 DAT. However at 45 DAT T2 showed the tallest plant height and maximum single cabbage weight, head length, and diameter, leading to the highest total yield (5109.12 kg/ha) and the highest Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 2.39. Conversely, T4 (close spacing) produced the lowest values for these parameters and the lowest BCR of 1.75. Chlorophylla of fresh leaf was found maximum in T3 (10.44 mg/g) and T4 (10.60 mg/g) and lowest was recorded in T1 (7.14 mg/g and T2 (7.46 mg/g) treatments. Similar result was observed in total carotene contents but there were no significant difference of Cholophyllb among the treatments. Amount of soil pH, OM%, total N %, Potassium (meq/100gm soil) and Sulfur (µgm/gm soil) after post harvest of cabbage showed minor lower values compared to initial land preparation values while Phosphorous contents increased after post harvest 71.92% compared to initial land preparation time The findings demonstrate that the spacing treatment T2 (60cm×45cm) significantly enhances cabbage yield and economic returns, with the highest Benefit-Cost Ratio of 2.39, making it the most efficient spacing for cabbage production under mango-based agroforestry system.