Title: Effects of plant population density and nitrogen fertilizer application on sorghum-soybean intercrop
Abstract: In a field trial on clay loam soils in the dry season of 1977, sorghum cv. Casor 3 at plant densities of (a) 150 000 or (b) 250 000 plants/ha or soyabean cv. UPL-Sy2 at plant densities of (c) 200 000 or (d) 400 000 plants/ha were grown in monoculture or intercropped in all combinations and were given 0, 50 100 kg N/ha, of which 50% was applied with 50 kg P + 50 kg K/ha as a basal dressing and the remainder was side-dressed 1 month after seed emergence. Increase in sorghum plant density and N level resulted in increased LAI and grain yield of sorghum but decreased the LAI and seed yield of intercropped soyabean. Monocrop sorghum and soyabean produced higher LAI and grain yields than sorghum or soyabean intercropped at the same plant density. Sorghum grown in monoculture at (b) produced the highest grain yield. Sorghum grain yields were resp., 3.63, 4.96, 3.46, 3.44, 4.09 and 4.10 t/ha for (a), (b), (a) + (c), (a) + (d), (b) + (c) and (b) + (d) with no fertilizer; 4.25, 5.56, 3.51, 3.42, 4.78 and 4.74 t/ha with 50 kg N; and 4.48, 6.19, 3.83, 3.80, 4.99 and 4.83 t/ha with 100 kg N. Soyabean seed yields ranged from 299 kg/ha in (b) + (c) to 719 kg in (d) with no fertilizer; 285 kg in (b) + (c) to 827 kg in (d) with 50 kg N; and 273 kg in (b) + (c) to 858 kg in (d) with 100 kg N. The total plant N content in sorghum and soyabean was higher when intercropped than when grown in monoculture. This implied that intercropping gave more benefit in terms of more efficient N absorption. The number of panicles/unit area and number of seeds/panicle contributed more than other yield components to the total yield variation in sorghum. In soyabean, the number of pods/unit area was responsible for the total yield variation. The combination of high plant density of sorghum with either high or low population density of soyabean seemed to be the best combination for sorghum-soyabean intercropping in terms of total grain and seed yield and higher N uptake efficiency
Publication Year: 1978
Publication Date: 1978-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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