Abstract
An experiment was conducted to determine effects of inter-cropping lablab (Lablab purpureus) with 3 selected early-maturing sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) varieties (Teshale, Girana-1 and Misikir) on plant morphology, sorghum grain and forage yield and quality plus yield and quality of lablab forage, and to assess farmers’ perceptions of the crops in Kalu District, South Wollo, Ethiopia. Seven treatments, namely: T1 - sole lablab (SL); T2 - Teshale + lablab (TL); T3 - Girana-1 + lablab (GL); T4 - Misikir + lablab (ML); T5 - sole Teshale (ST); T6 - sole Girana-1 (SG); and T7 - sole Misikir (SM), were used with 3 replications in a randomized complete block design. The data collected from sorghum varieties were: plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, dry biomass yield and grain yield; and for lablab was: plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, number of branches per plant, number of nodules per plant and dry biomass yield. Grain yield was determined on sorghum at maturity, while lablab was harvested at 50% flowering. Inter-cropped Girana-1 produced yields of both grain and stover and lablab forage similar to those for pure stands of the 2 crops, while inter-cropping of Teshale and Misikir with lablab reduced height, grain and stover yields of sorghum and yields of lablab forage (P<0.05). However, crude protein concentration in sorghum stover was enhanced when grown as an inter-crop with lablab (P<0.05). Land equivalent ratios for inter-crop treatments were 54‒87% higher than those for pure stands. Farmers readily identified the combination Girana-1 + lablab as superior to the other associations. While farmers can improve productivity of their farms by inter-cropping these sorghum varieties, preferably Girana-1, with lablab, more studies should be conducted to determine benefits from sowing other legumes with sorghum. Any improvements in soil N levels from planting the legumes should be quantified.
Highlights
In Ethiopia, the dominant farming system is a croplivestock system (Assefa et al 2016), in which both crop and livestock production are economically important
Height and number of leaves per plant for Girana-1 were not affected by intercropping with lablab (P>0.05), while both parameters for Teshale and Misikir were reduced by growing in association with lablab (P
Leaf area of Girana-1 was not affected when grown with lablab (P>0.05), while leaf area was reduced in the case of Teshale and Misikir (P
Summary
In Ethiopia, the dominant farming system is a croplivestock system (Assefa et al 2016), in which both crop and livestock production are economically important. Grazing land is being converted to crop production to provide food for the rapidly increasing human population in the nation. The major feed resource for livestock during the dry season is crop residues (CSA 2018), which have low nutritive value, resulting in poor animal performance unless concentrates or conserved hay is fed (Tolera 2008). The average land holding of households is less than a hectare in different areas of Ethiopia (Gedefaw et al 2019), so integrated usage of land by inter-cropping of food and forage crops would provide efficient resource utilization (Tarekegn and Zelalem 2014). Inter-cropping legumes with cereal crops has multiple advantages in terms of improving biomass yield, nutritive value and land equivalent ratio (Jensen et al 2020). Shehu et al (2001) reported that intercropping of sorghum with lablab improved the protein concentration in cereal stem as well as leaf yield
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