Premium
Effect of Component Densities on the Productivity of Soybean/Maize and Soybean/Sorghum Intercrop
Author(s) -
Pal U. R.,
Oseni T. O.,
Norman J. C.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1993.tb01057.x
Subject(s) - sorghum , agronomy , intercropping , crop , population , mathematics , yield (engineering) , productivity , field experiment , population density , sweet sorghum , monocropping , crop yield , biology , agriculture , cropping , ecology , materials science , demography , macroeconomics , sociology , economics , metallurgy
Field experiments were conducted during the wet seasons of 1986 and 1987 at the Yandev Agricultural Experiment Station to investigate the effects of component density on the yield of sorghum or maize intercropped with soybean. Seed yield of the monocrops of sorghum, maize and soybean were higher than the individual components in the intercrops. Yields of component crops in the intercrop varied significantly with the components population density. The sorghum/soybean intercrops which had LER (Land Equivalent Ratio) up to 1.40 in 1986 and 1.35 in 1987 were more productive than soybean/maize intercrop with maximum LER of 1.28 and 1.34 respectively during 1986 and 1987. Similarly the ATER (Area X Time Equivalent Ratio) of sorghum/soybean was greater than in soybean/maize. However, for maximum productivity of sorghum or maize intercropped with soybean, optimum population of one component crop plus 1/2 optimum population of the companion crop is recommended depending on which of the crop is regarded as main or minor crop.