Abstract
The experiment was conducted on intercropping of lupine (Lupinus albus L.) with wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgar) and finger millet (Eleusine coracana) in 2009 at Adet Agricultural research station, in Western Gojam. The treatments were sole wheat at a seed rate of 175 kg/ha, sole barley at a seed rate of 125 kg/ha, sole finger millet at a seed rate of 30 kg/ha, sole lupine at a seed rate of 90 kg/ha, and an additive series of 25, 50 and 75% of the sole lupine seed rate combined with the full cereal seed rate to determine the effect of intercropping on competition (CR) among the different species, the land equivalent and area time equivalent ratios (LER and ATER); and the economic feasibility of each intercropping system(MAI) as compared with sole cropped. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with nine intercropping and four sole cropping systems in three replications. Lupine was planted in rows after establishment of main crops. JMP-5 (SAS, 2002) software’s was used to compute the analysis of variance. Partial LER of lupine was lower than LER of cereal, indicating an advantage for main crops and a disadvantage for the minor crop. Values of ATER showed 4.9%-31.3% and 11.1%-37.8% advantage in lupine-wheat and lupine-finger millet combinations, respectively, whilst lupine-barley combinations showed ATER of 54.5%-60.9% disadvantage. CR showed dominancy of wheat and barley over lupine while lupine was higher CR than finger millet. Positive MAI values were recorded in lupine-wheat and lupine-finger millet mixtures indicating that these intercropping systems were a definite yield advantage and the most profitable as compared to sole cropped. In conclusion, the lupine-finger millet mixture at the 50:100 seeding ratio and 75:100 seeding ratio; and lupine-wheat mixture at the 75:100 seeding ratio indicated a significant advantage from intercropping which was attributed to better MAI and land use efficiency (higher LER and ATER), lower CR and thereby enhanced sustainability of crop production in West Gojam, but the other socio-economic and cost of production aspects of intercropping should also be assessed especially under small scale farmers’ conditions.
Highlights
Intercropping is the cropping system involving the growth of two or more crops in the same piece of land at the same time or relayed which could compute for growth resources for certain growth period
Intercropping lupine with wheat, barley and finger millet in three seeding ratios significantly (P < 0.05) affects the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) .The combined yield advantage in terms of total LER indices was greatest in the cases of lupine-wheat mixture at the 75:100 seeding ratio (1.49), followed by the same combination at the 25:100 seeding ratio (1.334) and at 50:100 seeding ratio (1.313) (Table 3)
This indicates that 48.9% (0.48 ha), 33.38% (0.33 ha) and 31.3% (0.31 ha) more area would be required by a sole cropping system to equal the yield of intercropping system
Summary
Intercropping is the cropping system involving the growth of two or more crops in the same piece of land at the same time or relayed which could compute for growth resources for certain growth period. It provides valuable ecosystem services such as improved pest control [1], increased resource use efficiency [2] in crop livestock mixed farming system. In the past, many research efforts have been directed towards improving technology for sole cropping Such traditional farming did not insure the production of adequate food for a family [3]. The traditional objective has been to produce a full yield of cereal (as much as with a sole crop) while the associated legume yield is considered as additional yield [4]
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