Influence of irrigation regimes on competition indexes of winter and summer intercropping system under semi-arid regions of Pakistan

Abstract

An assessment of the competitive indexes in intercropping of different winter and summer based intercropping systems were studied, with the aim of increasing the productivity of these crops. Four winter crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), fababean (Vicia faba) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) and four summer crops, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoidum L.), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and mungbean (Vigna radiate L.) were grown under two irrigation regimes with the pattern of two crops in each intercropping system, at Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan in both winter and summer season during 2015–16 to 2016–17. The results showed that higher grain yield (kg ha−1) were recorded under sole cropping than intercropping. Higher grain yield was recorded in sole cropping, for all four crops. All crops grown in intercropping produced comparatively higher grains head−1 and seeds pod−1 than sole crop except pigeonpea. Intercropping systems were performed different in term of competition indexes which determined land utilization efficiency. Competition indexes revealed that in winter season wheat intercropped with fababean showed highest advantages of intercropping in term of land equivalent ratio (30%), relative crowding co-efficient (60%), actual yield loss (60%), area time equivalent ratio (27%), land utilization efficiency (83%), intercropping advantages (1060), monetary advantage index (Pakistani rupees (PKR) 46456) and system productivity index (3684) while in summer sorghum/pearl millet intercropped with pigeonpea was the most dominant intercropping systems in term of relative crowding co-Efficient (40%), actual yield loss (50%), land utilization efficiency (60%) intercropping advantages (1150) and system productivity index (1914). Aggressivity and competition ratio showed that cereals especially barley in winter and sorghum in summer season was highly competitive crops in the intercropping system. Most of the competition indexes values were higher for winter crops under limited irrigated condition while in case of summer crops intercropping indexes were higher under full irrigated condition. It was concluded that wheat intercropped with fababean, and sorghum/millet intercropped with mung bean was the most successful intercropping systems in winter and summer seasons, respectively under both irrigation regimes, for the semiarid region of Pakistan.