INCREASING FODDER BEET PRODUCTIVITY BY INTERCROPPING WITH SOME FIELD CROPS | ||||
| Journal of Plant Production | ||||
| Article 7, Volume 5, Issue 5, May 2014, Page 821-836 PDF (922.01 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpp.2014.55429 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
| Magda N. Rajab1; Azza Kh. Salem1; A. M. Abdel-Galil2 | ||||
| 1Forage Crops Research Dept., Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt | ||||
| 2Crop Intensification Research Dept., Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| A two-year study was carried out at Sids Agricultural Experiments and Research Station, A.R.C., Beni - Sweif Governorate, Egypt during 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 winter seasons to investigate the possibility of increasing fodder beet productivity and net return per unit area by intercropping fodder beet with some field crops for encouraging Egyptian farmers to grow fodder beet in their fields. Fodder beet plants were grown in one row on all ridges (60 cm width) with intercropping barley, wheat or faba bean plants on the other side of the first and third ridges. Also, fodder beet plants were grown in both side of beds (120 cm width) with intercropping barley, wheat or faba bean plants in the middle of second and forth beds in addition to sole plantings of all the tested field crops. A split plot design in randomized complete block design in four replications was used. The results can be summarized as follows: Intercropping barley, wheat and faba bean with fodder beet led to decrease in yields of all tested field crops in comparison with sole plantings of these crops. As a result of intercropping, root yield of fodder beet was decreased by 18.44, 17.10 and 17.78% in the 1st and 2nd seasons and the combined analysis, respectively, as compared with sole fodder beet. Growing fodder beet on ridges (60 cm width) under intercropping and sole cultures had higher values of all the studied traits of fodder beet than those gown on beds (120 cm width) , whereas, yields of barley, wheat and faba bean were not affected. The interaction between cropping systems and ridge width was not significantly affect all the studied traits of all the tested crops. For competitive relationships, intercropping fodder beet with barley, wheat and faba bean increased land equivalent ratio (LER) as compared to sole fodder beet. LER ranged from 1.05 to 1.22 with an average of 1.11. All values of relative crowding coefficient (K) exceeded 1.00. K of barley, wheat or faba bean was higher than those of fodder beet. With respect to dominance analysis, barley, wheat or faba bean plants are dominant components and fodder beet plants are dominated components. Intercropping fodder beet with barley, wheat and faba bean increased total and net returns by about 8.98 and 11.02 per cent, respectively, as compared with sole fodder beet. Net return of intercropping fodder beet with barley, wheat and faba bean was 8903, 9015 and 14075 L.E. per faddan as compared with sole fodder beet (9605 L.E.). Growing fodder beet with faba bean plants on ridges (60 cm width) gave the highest financial return as compared with sole fodder beet. This study concluded that growing fodder beet plants in one row on all ridges (60 cm width) with intercropping faba bean plants on the other side of the first and third ridges gave high yield of fodder beet. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Intercropping; Fodder beet; Barley; Wheat; Faba bean; competitive relationships; Financial return | ||||
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