Efect of sowing dates and seed rates of flax intercropped with sugar beet on productivity of both crops and competitive relationships

Abstract

The aim of intercropping flax on sugar beet is to increase the cultivated area with flax due to widely cultivated area of sugar beet. So, a field experiment was carried out to study the effect of various sowing dates and seed rates of flax intercropped with sugar beet on yield, quality and economic evaluation. The main-plots were assigned to three sowing dates of flax intercropped with sugar beet and the sub-plots were allocated to four seed rates of flax. The results show that sowing date of flax after 35 days from sowing (DFS) sugar beet resulted in the highest values of sugar beet yields and quality. Maximum values of flax straw and seed yields resulted from sowing flax after 21 DFS sugar beet. Intercropping sugar beet with flax at 12.5% from recommended seed rate on top sugar beet terraces attained the most elevated values of sugar beet yield and quality. Sowing flax at 50% from recommended rate resulted in the best values of flax technical and fruiting zone length, also straw and seed yield/hectare. The maximum yield and economic return of both crops were obtained from sowing flax at 12.5% from recommended rate after (21 or 35) DFS sugar beet.