Background: The increasing pressure on land resources, climate variability and need for sustainable intensification, cultivating pulses with fingermillet appears as a practical and ecologically sound strategy in rainfed agriculture. Legume inclusion provides sustainability to non-legume cereal components by enriching soil fertility, increasing system productivity and economic returns. Fingermillet + pulses intercropping system helps to conserve moisture, improve soil physical properties and buildup soil fertility. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted in randomized block design on the Experimental Farm of the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Science, CAU(I), Kyrdemkulai, Meghalaya during kharif season of 2023 and 2024 to assess the performance of fingermillet + kharif pulses intercropping system as well as growth and yield behaviour of intercrop kharif pulses viz., greengram and blackgram as intercrops with different row ratios.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Among the fingermillet + greengram intercropping treatments, the highest value of growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of greengram were found with fingermillet + greengram at 3:3 row ratio followed by 2:2. Similarly, under differnent fingermillet + blackgram intercropping treatments, 3:3 row ratio recorded highest values of growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of blackgram. However, fingermillet + greengram at 4:2 row ratio registered significantly more FMEY (3.2 t ha-1) and LER (1.34) as compared to sole fingermillet among the different fingermillet pulses intercropping system. Furthermore, fingermillet + kharif pulses intercropped treatments were able to maintain higher levels of available soil N after completion of the two years experiment.&nbsp;

Growth and Yield of Intercrop Kharif Pulses and Performance of Fingermillet + Kharif Pulses Intercropping System as Influenced by Different Row Ratios

<div>Onion is one of the most important commercial crops in India which is used as a vegetable, spice and rich in medicinal properties. In India major onion producing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. In South India onion is cultivated three times in a year as rabi, kharif and late kharif crop whereas, in North India it is generally cultivated as rabi crop. Major portion (60%) of onion produce comes from rabi season while kharif and late kharif crops contributes to a little extent (40%) in some parts of country. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan are major kharif onion producing states. Rabi onion is generally harvested in April-May whereas kharif onion and late kharif is harvested in the month of October-November and January-February, respectively. Major portion of rabi season produce is stored upto October month for domestic consumption. There is a critical gap in supply of onion from the months of October to December. Therefore, kharif onion plays an important role not only in fulfilling consumers demand but also in controlling market price of onion. So far kharif onion production in India is limited to three four states only and it should be prioritized in other states too by keeping in view its importance. Various research perspectives, challenges and management strategies involved in kharif onion production has been reviewed in this article.</div>

Kharif Onion Production in India- Present Status and Future Potential: A Review

<div style="text-align: justify;">Harvesting of rabi crops almost free farmers till the last week of March or the first week of April. At this time there is so much moisture in the field that deep plowing can be done easily. Deep plowing of fields in summer is a profitable deal for the Kharif crop, but it should be done on time. There are more benefits from this. There will be no problem of weeding in the field nor will the crops need more water To make kharif cultivation easier, the agriculture department has released a sowing calendar of kharif crops, informing farmers many tricks of kharif cultivation. Agricultural experts say that summer plowing is most important in the production of kharif crops. Yields can increase by up to 50 per cent if plowed in a fixed period.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Deep ploughing in summer will increase kharif yield</div>

Nutrient management is one of the most important factors in crop production. The review of  knowledge regarding the use of optimum dose of nutrients especially nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc is of prime concern. The literature regarding effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc on growth, yield and quality of kharif fodder is very scanty, therefore, findings of this paper and views of active investigators, theoreticians and practitioners on growth, yield and quality of kharif fodders viz. teosinite, maize, bajra and sorghum will be useful.

Effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc fertilization on yield and quality of kharif fodder -A review

<div>Background: Brinjal is one of the most popular and important vegetable crops grown throughout the year in India and other parts of the world. Though a large number of brinjal genotypes are available in India, only a few have good quality and yield during kharif. Therefore, the current study was carried out to identify and/or superior varieties with high yield and better quality brinjal during kharif, 2017-2018 consisted of thirty brinjal genotypes obtained from different places of India. 
 
Methods: All the genotypes were evaluated for fifteen morphological and six biochemical characters viz., plant height (cm), plant spread (cm), number of primary branches per plant, leaf blade length (cm), leaf blade width (cm), number of leaf prickles, days to first flowering (days), days to 50% flowering (days), fruit pedicel length (cm), fruit length (cm), fruit circumference (cm), number of fruits per plant, fruit weight (g), fruit yield per plant (kg), fruit yield per hectare (t), moisture content (%, FW), crude fiber content (%, DW), crude protein content (%, DW), ascorbic acid (mg/100g FW), solasodine content (mg/100g DW) and total phenol content (mg GAE/g FW). 
 
Result: Mean performance of brinjal genotypes revealed significant variation for morpho-biochemical characters. This variation may be due to the effect of genotype, environment or their interaction. Morphological characters of brinjal genotypes revealed that among the thirty genotypes, eighteen genotypes viz., Kuchia, Brinjal-3, Khoruah-1, Brinjal-6, Brinjal-8, Brinjal-4, Seujia Bengena, Brinjal-1, Brinjal-9, Brinjal-2, Brinjal Long, Green Long, Boga Bengena, Kajala, Sagolishingia, Long Khoruah, Brinjal-7 and Koni Bengena were found to be the superior performers for fruits/plant, primary branches per plant, days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering and fruit yield during kharif. The mean performance for biochemical characters also revealed wide variability among the genotypes in respect to quality performance.</div>

<div>Morpho-biochemical Characterization of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Genotypes during Kharif Season</div>

Groundnut is grown during July to October in kharif season, however area under early kharif (sowing in May) is increasing in Andhra Pradsh, where ever irrigation facilities exists. Hence to identify suitable variety for the situation, fourteen pre release and two released groundnut genotypes were evaluated during early kharif 2013 for growth, physiological traits and yield attributes. At harvest genotypes TCGS-1375 (41.331 g plant-1), TCGS-1342(41.059 g plant-1) significantly recorded higher total dry matter compared to all other cultivars and checks followed by TCGS-1330 (36.667 g plant-1), TCGS-1349 (36.433 g plant-1). &nbsp;TCGS-1342 recorded significantly higher Crop Growth Rate (CGR) value of 33.848 g m-2 day-1, where as TCGS-1346 (0.1265 g dm-2 day-1) and TCGS-1330 (0.1262 g dm-2 day-1) recorded significantly higher Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) values at 45-60 DAS. Cultivar, TCGS-1330 recorded significantly higher pod yield 4210.44 Kg ha-1 compared to other entries and checks. The results revealed that pre release genotypes, TCGS-1342, TCGS-1375, TCGS-1330, TCGS-1346 recorded high physiological efficiency in terms of growth and physiological traits viz. total dry matter (TDM), crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR) and leaf area index (LAI) and also recorded high &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; pod yield.

Evaluation of groundnut genotypes for physiological efficiency&nbsp;and high yield to suit early kharif situation&nbsp;

<div>Background: Among pulses, blackgram is one of most important crop. Blackgram has originated from Indian sub-continent where it has been cultivated from ancient times and standout amongst most expensive pulse crop in India. Being observed, the productivity of blackgram is low in India as well as in Punjab due to lack of knowledge regarding various agronomic implementations, among them, time of sowing and selection of suitable cultivar are one of the major limiting factors in production, especially during kharif season. 
 
Methods: The research was carried out to investigate the effect of different dates of sowing on growth, yield attributes and yield of various cultivars of kharif blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) during kharif season 2019 at Student&rsquo;s Research Farm, Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College, Amritsar. The experiment was laid-out in split-plot design, consisting of four dates of sowing (8th July, 18th July, 28th July and 8th August) as main-plot treatments and three cultivars (Mash114, Mash 338 and KUG 479) as sub-plot treatments, with four replications. 
 
Result: Among the sowing dates, the higher seed yield (10.27 q/ha) of blackgram was recorded when crop was raised on 8th July, which was significantly 12.6%, 20.3% and 30.5% higher than 18th July, 28th July and 8th August sown crop respectively. Among blackgram cultivars, the higher seed yield was observed in Mash 114 (10.19 q/ha) which was significantly 14% and 32% superior over Mash 338 and KUG 479 respectively. The sowing dates and cultivars had significant effect on the pods/plant, seeds/pod and seed weight/plant. The significantly higher number of pods/plant (24.3), seeds/pod (6.8) and seed weight/plant (3.2 g) were obtained with 8th July sown crop as compared to 28th July and 8th August sown crop. Among the cultivars, the significantly higher number of pods/plant (23.6), seeds/pod (6.4) and seed weight/plant (3.2 g) were recorded with Mash 114. The growth parameters viz. Plant height, nodules/plant, leaf area index and dry matter accumulation, were shown decreased trend by 29.2%, 19.13%, 12.2% and 25.4% respectively with the delay in sowing from 8th July to 8th August.</div>

Effect of Different Dates of Sowing on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Various Cultivars of Kharif Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) under Amritsar Conditions

<div>Background: The food grain and non-food grain crops occupy 48 and 68% area respectively under rain fed condition. Due to uneven rainfall, the rainfed crop suffers for want of adequate soil moisture at critical growth stages. Under such situation, protective irrigation ensures adequate soil moisture which results higher production. Crops like tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram are predominantly grown during kharif as rain fed crops. Relieving the soil moisture stress during the critical crop growth stages with more efficient irrigation system assumes importance in rain fed farming.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: An experiment was conducted for three years during kharif 2008, 2009 and 2010 at the College Farm, Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agril. University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad&nbsp;on a sandy loam soil to study the yield advantage of protective sprinkler irrigation to kharif grown rain fed tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram crops. The trial was conducted in strip plot design with protective sprinkler irrigations as main plots and rainfed kharif crops as sub-plots and replicated thrice. The three main treatments comprised of - one protective sprinkler irrigation at flower/peg/tassel initiation, two protective sprinkler irrigations at flower and fruiting, tassel and grain filling, peg formation and pod filling and flowering and pod filling stages and rain fed (control). The sub treatments consisted of four crops- tomato, maize, groundnut and red gram.&nbsp; 
 
Result: There was an increase in yield with one and two protective sprinkler irrigations by 16.7 and 27.9; 17.7 and 44 5; 26.4 and 34.5 and 21.1 and 28.9% over their corresponding rain fed crops of tomato, groundnut, maize and red gram, respectively. There was an increase of 20.4 and 31.6% in Maize Equivalent Yield (MEY) with one and two protective irrigations as compared to rain fed crop. The water productivity was lower in all the crops grown under rain fed conditions (0.77 kg MEY m-3) as compared to that of one and two protective irrigations.</div>

<div>Influence of Protective Sprinkler Irrigation on Yield and Water Productivity of Kharif Grown Rain Fed Crops</div>

Rainfed deep Vertisols in semi-arid regions of India are traditionally left fallow during the kharif season to conserve soil moisture for rabi crops, particularly chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). While this practice ensures residual moisture availability, it significantly limits cropping intensity, land productivity and resource use efficiency. Recent agronomic research has demonstrated the feasibility of cropping kharif fallows with short-duration, low-water-demand crops such as green gram, foxtail millet, sesame and cowpea. These crops can be harvested before the onset of rabi season, leaving sufficient residual moisture for chickpea establishment. Moreover, strategic interventions in land configuration, nutrient management and integrated pest control have enabled successful kharif cropping in Vertisols, mitigating risks associated with waterlogging and poor soil aeration. This review synthesizes multidisciplinary research on kharif crop-chickpea systems, comparing them with conventional fallow-chickpea rotations across agronomic, economic and ecological metrics. Evidence from long-term trials and farmer participatory research reveals that intensified systems improve chickpea equivalent yields, enhance soil carbon sequestration, suppress pest and disease cycles and contribute to climate resilience. Integrated nutrient and residue management further supports soil health and microbial activity, while diversified cropping systems offer better profitability and livelihood security. Across Vertisol regions, inclusion of kharif crops increased chickpea equivalent yield by 22-33% and soil organic carbon by 18-21% compared with traditional fallow-chickpea system, while also improving yield stability and farm profitability. The paper also identifies key research gaps and policy interventions needed to scale sustainable kharif cropping in Vertisol landscapes. By integrating agronomic innovations with ecological and socioeconomic perspectives, this review provides a comprehensive framework for advancing chickpea-based systems and promoting sustainable intensification in rainfed agriculture. 
&nbsp;

Cropping Kharif Fallows to Enhance Rabi Chickpea Productivity and Cropping Intensity in Rainfed Deep Vertisols: A Comprehensive Review

<div>Background: Maize is referred to as the &ldquo;Queen of Cereals&rdquo; since it has highest genetic yield potential. So, Maize being a rainy season crop, suffers badly due to heavy weed infestation reducing the potential yield. Intercropping with legumes is the effective technique to control weed infestation. Therefore, this study is focused on to evaluate the legume intercropping for weed control efficiency in kharif maize (Zea mays L.) under Amritsar conditions. 
 
Methods: A field study was carried out to evaluate the effect of &ldquo;Legume intercropping for weed control efficiency in kharif maize (Zea mays L.) under Amritsar conditions&rdquo; at Student&rsquo;s Research Farm, P.G. Department of Agriculture, Khalsa College Amritsar, during Kharif season 2021-2022. The experiment consists of six treatment combination which were tested in factorial randomized block design with three replications. The treatment consisted of T1 - sole maize, T2- paired row maize, T3- maize + green gram (1:1), T4- maize + green gram (2:2), T5- maize + black gram (1:1), T6- maize + black gram (2:2) and two weed management practices i.e. weedy check and pendimethalin at 0.75 kg ha-1 (pre-emergence). 
 
Result: The results indicated that maize + green gram (1:1) intercropping system registered considerably lowest weed density of both monocot and dicot weeds at 25 DAS (58.14 m2) and 50 DAS (61.72 m2) and also significantly lower weed dry matter at 25 DAS (2.06 q ha-1), 50 DAS (4.58 q ha-1), 75 DAS (5.88 q ha-1). Maize + green gram (1:1) treatment also recorded considerably highest weed control efficiency (17.57 %) at 25 DAS and (16.38%) at 50 DAS. The highest maize grain yield (38.85 q ha-1) was achieved in maize + green gram (1:1) followed by (37.68 q ha-1) maize + black gram (1:1) and (33.41 q ha-1) maize + green gram (2:2). Maize grain equivalent yield and benefit-cost ratio significantly superior in all the intercropping systems than pure stand yield of crop. The highest maize grain equivalent yield (66.78 q ha-1) and benefits: cost ratio (3.6) was obtained in maize + green gram (2:2) followed by (3.31) maize + black gram (2:2) and (2.5) maize + green gram (1:1). Pre-emergence application of pendimethalin at 0.75 kg ha-1 gave substantially lower weed density at25 DAS (56.05 m2), 50 DAS (57.97 m2) and weed dry matter at 25 DAS (2.16 q ha-1), 50 DAS (4.03 q ha-1) and 75 DAS (5.35 q ha-1) and significantly superior weed control efficiency at 25 DAS (30.97%) and 50 DAS (27.98 %) over weedy check. Significantly higher maize grain yield (36.94 q ha-1), legumes yield (8.87 q ha-1), maize grain equivalent yield (58.45 q ha-1) and benefits: cost ratio (3.19).</div>

Growth and Yield of Intercrop Kharif Pulses and Performance of Fingermillet + Kharif Pulses Intercropping System as Influenced by Different Row Ratios

Kharif Onion Production in India- Present Status and Future Potential: A Review

Deep ploughing in summer will increase kharif yield

Effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc fertilization on yield and quality of kharif fodder -A review

Morpho-biochemical Characterization of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Genotypes during Kharif Season

Evaluation of groundnut genotypes for physiological efficiency and high yield to suit early kharif situation

Effect of Different Dates of Sowing on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Various Cultivars of Kharif Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) under Amritsar Conditions

Influence of Protective Sprinkler Irrigation on Yield and Water Productivity of Kharif Grown Rain Fed Crops

Cropping Kharif Fallows to Enhance Rabi Chickpea Productivity and Cropping Intensity in Rainfed Deep Vertisols: A Comprehensive Review

Legume Intercropping for Weed Control Efficiency in Kharif Maize (Zea mays L.) under Amritsar Conditions