Abstract
Two field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of Gemmeiza Agriculture Research Station, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt after 2018 and 2019 summer growing seasons to determine the effect of intercropping pattern of yellow maize hybrid (single cross 168: “SC 168”) with watermelon pulp at three plant distributions (20 cm between hills and one plant/hill, 40 cm between hills and two plants/hill and 60 cm between hills and three plants/hill) and different levels of nitrogen fertilizer (25, 50, 75 and 100% of the recommended dose “120 kg N fad-1”) as well as their interactions on maize and watermelon pulp growth, yield and its attributes as well as competitive relationships and yield advantages. The experiments were carried out in split-plot design with four replicates. The main-plots were assigned to plant distributions of maize, the sub-plots were allocated to levels of nitrogen fertilizer for maize. The obtained results showed that planting maize plants on one side of terraces of 140 cm width with 20 cm between hills and leaving one plant/hill and planting watermelon pulp on the other side of the terraces produced the highest values of plant height, ear height, number of kernels row-1, 100-kernel weight and grain yield fad-1, at the same time the lowest values of ear leaf area, ear length, ear diameter and number of rows ear-1 of maize as well as the lowest values of growth, yield and its attributes of watermelon pulp during the both seasons. Mineral fertilizing maize plants with 75% of the recommended dose (90 kg N/fad) and watermelon pulp with the recommended dose produced the highest values of all studied growth characters, yield and its attributes of maize and watermelon pulp in both seasons. The highest values of land equivalent ratio (LER), relative crowding coefficient (RCC), area time equivalent ratio (ATER), land equivalent coefficient (LEC), aggressivity index (AI), monetary advantage index (MAI), actual yield (L.E.) of watermelon, Total income (L.E.) and economic return (L.E.) were obtained from planting maize plants on one side of terraces of 140 cm width with 60 cm between hills and leaving three plants/hill and planting watermelon pulp on the other side of the terraces besides fertilizing maize plants with 75% of the recommended dose (90 kg N/fad) and watermelon pulp with the recommended dose in both seasons. It can be recommended that planting maize on 60 cm between hills and leaving three plants/hill and planting watermelon pulp on the other side of the terraces besides fertilizing maize plants with 90 kg N/fad and watermelon pulp with the recommended dose to obtain the maximum values growth, yield and its attributes of watermelon pulp and competitive relationships and yield advantages of both crops under the climates conditions of Middle Delta, Egypt.
Highlights
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crops comes the third after wheat and rice in Egypt
Planting maize plants on one side of terraces of 140 cm width with 20 cm between hills and leaving one plant/hill attained the highest values of plant height, ear height, number of kernels row-1, 100-kernel weight and grain yield fad-1 at the same time the lowest values of ear leaf area, ear length and ear diameter and number of rows ear-1 of maize during the two summer seasons of 2018 and 2019
The increment in grain yield fad-1 associated with D1 plant distribution may be due to that pattern ensured better conditions concerning foliage light interception and decreased the intra-specific competition between maize plants for growth factors, which positively contributed to higher photosynthesis rate and higher values of number of kernels row-1 and 100-kernel weight, which participated in increasing grain yield fad-1
Summary
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crops comes the third after wheat and rice in Egypt. Mattera et al (2013) reported that hill spacing, a practice that determines the spatial distribution of plants, affects canopy structure, light interception, and radiation use efficiency and, biomass or grain yield. The present study was established to investigate the suitable spatial distribution of maize plants when intercropped with watermelon pulp, as well as the suitable N fertilizer rates to increase land productivity and farmer profitability. This investigation aimed to study competitive relationships and yield advantages under the climate conditions of El-Gharbia Governorate, Egypt
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