Effect of intercropping on growth and yield of some Leguminous and Cereal forage crops in El Kadaru Area

Abstract

Intercropping is not a common practice in forage production in Sudan, in spite of its importance; farmers don’t know the potentiality of this type of cultivation and more experiments needed to adopt this type of cropping system and it is an example of biological interaction. A field experiment was conducted under irrigation for two consecutive seasons during 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 in the demonstration farm, college of Animal production, University of Bahri, Sudan to study the effect of intercropping of two leguminous forage crops (clitoria and phillipesara) cultivated with one non leguminous crop (Sorghum). Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used. Yield of sole crops produced more forage, but the total yield (Over yielding) of the intercropped plants as revealed by land equivalent ratio was higher compared with the individual crops. Clitoria growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter) were not significantly affected by intercropping, but there was significant difference in plant population in the two seasons. Intercropping did not significantly affect growth parameters during the two seasons of Phillipesara except plant population and the first reading of plant height. Sorghum showed significant differences in plant population and some readings during the two seasons (the fourth reading of plant height in the first season, the first reading of number of leaves in first season, the fourth reading of stem diameter in the first season and the first reading of stem diameter in the second season).