Intercropping of Cauliflower With Sweet Gourd At Different Plant Population

Intercropping is a popular way to boost crop yield and profitability by maximizing the use of natural and agricultural resources. A study was carried out to establish crop arrangement for sweet gourd and cauliflower intercropping systems. The experiment was carried out during two consecutive years of 2019-20 and 2020-21 to identify the appropriate cauliflower population for intercropping with sweet gourd for increased production and profitability. Seven treatments viz. T1= Sole Sweet gourd (2 m × 2 m), T2=100% Sweet gourd + 3 rows cauliflower 37.5% (60 cm × 50 cm), T3=100% Sweet gourd + 3 rows cauliflower 23% (60 cm × 80 cm), T4=100% Sweet gourd + 4 rows cauliflower 50% (50 cm × 50 cm), T5=100% Sweet gourd + 4 rows cauliflower 31% (50 cm × 80 cm), T6=100% Sweet gourd + 5 rows cauliflower 31% (40 cm × 100 cm) and T7=Sole Cauliflower (50 cm × 50 cm). The maximum sweet gourd equivalent yield (SGEY) 34.83 t ha-1 was obtained from T4. The maximum gross return (Tk. 278640 ha-1), gross margin (Tk. 180384 ha-1), BCR (2.85) and LER (1.40) were also observed from T4 and the lowest in sole cauliflower (T7). The overall results revealed that among the intercrop combinations 100% Sweet gourd+4 rows cauliflower 50% (50 cm × 50 cm) (T4) followed by 100% Sweet gourd + 3 rows cauliflower 37.5% (60 cm × 50 cm) (T2) combinations could be profitable combinations for cauliflower with sweet gourd intercropping system. Bangladesh Agron. J. 2022, 25(1): 129-138