Yield and Quality of Intercropped Sunflower with Soybean Under Different Sunflower Plant Spacings and Slow – Release Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates in Sandy Soil

Sherif Ibrahim Abdel-Wahab

doi:10.11648/j.ijaas.20160203.11

Abstract

A two – year field trial was conducted in El-Boustan region, South El-Tahrir Province, El-Behira Governorate, Egypt to decrease mineral nitrogen (N) inputs of sunflower and increase yield and quality of the intercrops to achieve farmer's benefit under sandy soil conditions. A split-plot design with three replicates was used. Quality of sunflower and soybean seeds was tested in the laboratories of Seed Technology Research Department, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center. For soybean crop, average yield of soybean with sunflower was greater by intercropping soybean with sunflower that spaced at 40 cm in the same ridge. Slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower did not affect all the studied soybean traits. Also, soybean yield and its attributes were not affected by the interaction between sunflower plant spacing and slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower. Seed oil content of soybean was increased by increasing sunflower plant spacing from 20 to 40 cm, meanwhile quality of soybean seeds was not affected by slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower or the interaction between sunflower plant spacing and slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower. For sunflower crop, intercropping soybean with sunflower that spaced at 20 cm had the highest seed and oil yields per ha compared to the others. All the studied sunflower traits were increased by increasing N fertilizer rates of sunflower from 71.4 to 142.8 kg N/ha except number of leaves per plant. The interaction between sunflower plant spacing and slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower affected significantly all the studied sunflower traits except number of leaves per plant. Quality of sunflower seeds was not affected significantly by sunflower plant spacing but it was increased by increasing N fertilizer rates of sunflower from 71.4 to 142.8 kg N/ha. The interaction between sunflower plant spacing and slow – release N fertilizer rates of sunflower did not affect quality of sunflower seeds. Land equivalent ratio values for intercrops were much greater than 1.00 indicating less land requirements of intercropping systems than sole sunflower. Farmer's benefit was achieved by intercropping soybean with sunflower plants that spaced at 20 cm between hills (50% soybean + 100% sunflower) and received 75% of the recommended mineral N fertilizer rate of sunflower under sandy soil conditions.

Highlights

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is widely adaptable and more drought tolerant than most other grain crops [1] and it is one of the most important oil crops in the world [2]
Plant height of soybean was decreased significantly by increasing spacing between sunflower plants from 20 to 40 cm. These data may be due to intercropping soybean with sunflower plants that spaced at 20 cm between hills (50% soybean + 100% sunflower) affected negatively the responses of soybean plant to intercept more solar radiation compared to those grown with the other sunflower plant spacings under sandy soil conditions
Intercropping soybean with sunflower plants that spaced at 20 cm between hills (50% soybean + 100% sunflower) interacted positively with the application of UF0 or UF1 to give the highest values of plant height, seed and oil yields per ha compared to the other treatments under sandy soil conditions

Summary

Introduction

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is widely adaptable and more drought tolerant than most other grain crops [1] and it is one of the most important oil crops in the world [2]. The production of edible oil in Egypt is still far below the needs and the country has to supplement the needs for oil to meet the annual requirements by importing. Great emphasis must be given towards oil seed crops to decrease the oil gap in Egypt outside the Nile Valley and Delta without soil degradation and pollution where nitrogen (N) requires careful management when used for crop. Newly reclaimed soils in Egypt offer a great opportunity to increase the area devoted to oil seed crops by the proper choice of cropping system with the optimum use of mineral N fertilizer because of the high potential for leaching losses of nitrate through these soils. Sunflower ranks with soybean (Glycine max L), canola (Brassica napus L.) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) as one of the four most important annual crops in the world grown for edible oil [4]

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Conclusion