Evaluation of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) intercropping system

Subject Areas :

Yagoub Raei ¹ ()

Received: 2006-10-12 Accepted : 2006-12-05 Published : 2007-01-21

Keywords: Sorghum, Intercropping, Egyptian clover,

Abstract :

One of the most important methods of sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation is intercropping. On this basis, a field study was carried out at research station of agricultural faculty, Tabriz University in 2003. The row-intercropping was used as a cropping pattern. Cultural pattern was replacement series. Treatments were arrangedwithin Randomized Complete Block Design with threereplications. Treatments comprised of pure stand of sorghum (T1), %75 sorghum+%25 Egyptian clover (T2), %50 sorghum+%50 Egyptian clover (T3), %25 sorghum+%75 Egyptian clover (T4), and pure stand of Egyptian clover. The results showed that pure stands of sorghum (12/225 t/ha) and Egyptian clover (3/309t/ha) had the highest and the lowest forage yields On during season growth within three harvests. Among harvests, the second harvest had higher yield than other harvests. T2 had the greater LER (1.14) than other intercropping combinations. It was concluded that sorghum had more competitive effects on Egyptian clover, as Competitive effects of a plant sorghum was equal to 3.3 plants of Egyptian clover.

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