Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

A field experiment was conducted during 2021–2023 to evaluate the effect of vegetable intercropping on productivity, water-use efficiency and economic returns of acid lime under the semi-arid conditions of Pali, Rajasthan. The experiment comprised seven treatments, namely sole acid lime, acid lime + onion, acid lime + coriander, acid lime + radish, acid lime + cowpea, acid lime + onion–coriander and acid lime + radish–cowpea, arranged in a randomised block design with four replications. Vegetable intercropping significantly influenced vegetable yield, acid-lime-equivalent yield, land equivalent ratio, water productivity and economic returns. The acid lime + onion–coriander system recorded the highest acid-lime-equivalent yield (14.26 t ha⁻¹), land equivalent ratio (1.36), water productivity (7.35 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹), net return (₹1,78,460 ha⁻¹) and benefit–cost ratio (2.89). Sole acid lime produced the highest individual acid lime fruit yield (10.42 t ha⁻¹), whereas the acid lime + onion–coriander system produced 9.84 t ha⁻¹ of acid lime and 9.30 t ha⁻¹ of vegetables. The findings indicated that suitable vegetable intercrops  can enhance the productivity, resource-use efficiency and profitability of acid lime orchards, particularly during the initial years of orchard establishment. The acid lime + onion–coriander system may therefore be considered a promising intercropping strategy for semi-arid regions, subject to further validation under different orchard ages, soil conditions and production environments.