Soil fertility and organic matter in our soils are on decline. Legume intercropping and manuring are important measures to sustain fertility and enhance productivity of soil. Four wheat cultivars Inqlab-91, WL-886, 1076 & 41 grown in field either as mono crop or intercropped with chickpea (CM 88) were evaluated with respect to yield, nutrient (N & P) uptake, compatibility and profitability. Prior to establishment of experiment, soil was enriched by green manuring of vegetative biomass of legume cereal for the last two years to raise organic matter/nutrients contents sufficienctly for growing a crop without mineral fertilizer addition. In monoculture, wheat cultivar Inqlab-91 produced the maximum grain (3294 kg ha -1) than other wheat lines (WL). In intercropping system, one hactare of land produced a maximum grain yield of WL-1076 (2456 kg) along with additional chickpea grain yield (1302 kg) while an other association produced maximum grain yield of chickpea (1795 kg) along with additional wheat yield (2144 kg by Inqlab-91). Cumulative grain value (Rs. ha -1) in intercropping culture was two times higher compared to that of wheat mono cropping. Associated crops accumulated significantly higher N in their biomass with a maximum of 87 kg ha -1 (by Inqlab+chickpea), compared to a maximum of 58 kg ha -1 by wheat (Inqlab-91) as mono culture. Phosphorus uptake by associated crops was also higher compared to wheat grown alone. The results clearly suggested superiority of wheat-chickpea co-cropping over wheat monoculture in terms of enhanced nutrient utilization, crop yield and farm income.
