Impact of planting methods and plant density on intercropped wheat with sugar beet

Abstract EN

Two field experiments were carried out at Etay El-Baroud Research Station, El-Beheira Governorate, Agric.

Res Center in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons to evaluate three planting methods and four intercropping densities of wheat with sugar beet and their interaction.

The obtained results indicated that planting sugar beet on wide ridges (120 cm width) and wheat on the wide of the same ridges (M1) significantly increased yield and its components.

The intercropping densities of wheat had significant effect on most of studied traits for this crop.

Decrease densities of wheat lead to the highest values of all sugar beet characters and spike length of wheat, while No.

of spikes/m2, grain weight/m2 of wheat were increased by increasing intercropping densities of wheat.

A monoculture crop gave the highest values of both crops.

Significant interaction effect between planting methods and intercropping plant density was found on some studied characters of the two crops under testing.

Planting method intercropping combination on wide sugar beet ridges 120 cm width (M1) resulted in the greatest land eqvillant ratio (LER) and gross returns.

The results showed that the productivity of land increased by intercropping 12.50 % of wheat seeding rate per feddan with sugar beet gave the highest LER and gross returns.

The best productivity of land was achieved by planting wheat with sugar beet on sugar beet ridges 120 cm width (M1) by using intercropping density 12.50 %.