OPTIMIZING WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY UNDER EUCALYPTUS INFLUENCE: A STRATEGIC CULTIVAR SELECTION APPROACH FOR NORTHERN INDIA

Abstract

Agroforestry systems offer a sustainable alternative to monocropping, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, due to their ecological and socio-economic benefits. Eucalyptus-based agroforestry systems have gained popularity among farmers in the Indo-Gangetic region of India, primarily due to the high industrial demand for Eucalyptus products such as pulpwood, paperwood, and polewood. The present study investigates the impact of Eucalyptus tereticornis windbreaks on wheat yield and soil nutrient status under an agroforestry setup. Five wheat varieties, WH-1105, WH-542, HD-2967, HD-943, and DPW-621-50, were evaluated over two consecutive years with Eucalyptus tree lines oriented in East–West and North–South directions. Results indicated that yield reduction in wheat was most pronounced near the tree line (T1 and T2 treatments) due to resource competition, while wheat yield improved with increasing distance from the trees. Among the varieties tested, HD-2967 consistently outperformed others in terms of grain yield. Furthermore, soil nutrient analysis revealed significantly higher levels of available nitrogen (278.3 kg/ha), phosphorus (14.2 kg/ha), and potassium (335.3 kg/ha) at 2 meters from the tree line post-harvest. The study concludes that strategic spatial arrangement and varietal selection are critical for optimizing wheat productivity in Eucalyptus-based agroforestry systems.