PROTECTION OF TOMATO PLANTS AGAINST COLD AND FROST CONDITIONS BY INTERCROPPING UNDER SOHAG GOVERNORATE | ||||
| Journal of Plant Production | ||||
| Article 4, Volume 4, Issue 7, July 2013, Page 1077-1096 PDF (726.75 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jpp.2013.73729 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| M. A. Abd El-Hady1; R. A. Marey2; M. A. Abou-Keriasha2 | ||||
| 1Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt | ||||
| 2Field Crops Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Two field trials were carried out through two years, i.e. 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 winter seasons at Shandaweel Agriculture Research Station, Sohag Governorate (Upper Egypt). The aim of this study to investigate intercropping three field crops (wheat, faba bean and onion) in three plant densities as a companion crops with tomato, aiming to protect it from cold and frost, as well as, wind. A split plot design with three replications was used in both seasons. Keeping the three field crops in the main plot and plant densities (one, two and three rows) in the sub plots. The obtained results indicated that the intercropping tomato plants with the mentioned crops resulted in protective producer against the low cold temperature and wind which led to decrease percentage of injured plants and flowers as compared with the solid planting. The yield and yield components of tomato were decreased under intercropping condition. The reduction was estimated 15.5% for fruit set percentage, 25.3% for average fruit weight, 14.5% for number of tomato fruits/plant and 15.8% for yield/fed as compared with solid planting. Intercropping tomato with wheat recorded the lowest values of injured and dead plants percentage. The reduction in yield and yield components was lesser than with onion. The results also show clearly that the high plant density (three rows) had more protective against cold temperature which led to earliness flowering and reduced the percentages of both injured and dead plants as compared with low density. The reduction in yield and yield components of tomato under high density were higher as compared with low density. Intercropped crops (wheat, faba bean and onion) were affected by plant density under intercropping condition. The yield components of the three crops were increased especially under low density (one row) which had wide distance between plants as compared with solid planting. However, the seed and bulb yield/fed were more decreased especially under low density (7.4% for wheat, 57.0% for faba bean and 70.1% for onion). The highest values of land equivalent ratio (1.48), monetary advantage index (12292.2) and net return (32738.0 L.E/fed) were observed when intercropping with onion. In general, under intercropping, the damage of tomato fruits was decreased and marketable yield was increased. These could be attributed to plant height and plant density of intercropped crops. This density must be low (1-2 rows) in tall crops, wheat and faba bean; and the opposite in short crop (onion). | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Intercropping; Tomato; Wheat; Faba bean; Onion; density | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 122 PDF Download: 317 |
||||
