Evaluation of Sorghum, Maize and Common Bean Cropping Systems in East Hararghe, eastern Ethiopia.
2000
Tamado Tana and Eshetu Mulatu(Lecturer in Agronomy)
Sorghum, maize and common bean are the major food crops often grown in association in Hararghe zone. Field experiments were conducted at Babile and Alemaya, eastern Ethiopia, to evaluate the agronomic performance and productivity of sorghum, maize and common bean grown in row intercropping, mix intercropping and sole cropping. Most of the growth characteristics and yield components of the associated crops measured on a single plant basis were not significantly affected by the cropping system. However, cropping system had significant effect (P 0.05) on yields of the component crops and total Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) at Babile. Yields of the intercrops ranged from 45% to 89% in sorghum, 37% to 86% in maize and 27% to 54% in common bean at Babile when compared with the respective sole crops. This range was from 44% to 92% in sorghum, 23% to 71 % in maize and 38% to 48% in common bean at Alemaya, Sorghum showed higher competitive ability as compared to the associated maize and bean. Sole row and mix intercropping were found to be agronomically advantageous than sole cropping of the component crops as indicated by LER values 1.00 except maize and common bean mix intercropping at Alemaya (LER = 0.84). Sorghum and common bean row intercropping gave the highest agronomic advantage (43% at Babile and 40% at Alemaya) over sole cropping of the component crops. However, sole maize gave the highest Gross Monetary Value at Alemaya (8054 ETB ha1). Therefore, sorghum and common bean row intercropping is recommended both agronomically and economically at Babile than the traditionally used sorghum/maize/bean mix intercropping or solecropping. However, at Alemaya sole maize proved to be best economical, but the socio-economic and cost of production aspects of intercropping should be assessed especially under the conditions of small scale farmers.
اظهر المزيد [+] اقل [-]الكلمات المفتاحية الخاصة بالمكنز الزراعي (أجروفوك)
المعلومات البيبليوغرافية
تم تزويد هذا السجل من قبل Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research