Effect of Sunflower Intercropping on some Barley Cultivars under Salt-affected Soil Conditions

During the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 growing seasons, a field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafr University, Egypt, to examine the productivity of both barley and sunflower under saline soil conditions, as well as their competitive dynamics and economic valuation. A split-plot design was used for the field experiment in three replications. Barley cultivars (Giza-123, Giza-126 and Giza-127) were assigned to the main-plots. The sub-plots were divided into three intercropping systems; the recommended plant density for barley cultivars was used; the recommended plant densities for sunflower cultivars were 25%, 37%, and 50%. Giza-123 cultivar provided the highest values of all examined sunflower features as well as the greatest values of plant height, number of grains/spike, weight of grains/spike, grain yield/fed, straw yield/fed, biological yield/fed, and harvest index of barley. The highest values of all tested barley attributes came from sowing barley cultivars at recommended plant densities, and the highest values of all analyzed sunflower features came from sowing sunflower at 25.0% of recommended plant densities. Under the saline soil conditions of Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, it could be concluded that the maximum total income and economic return were obtained by sowing barley Giza-123 cultivar with the recommended plant density on top of the bed, 120 cm apart, and sowing sunflower on one side of the bed in hills, 20 cm apart (50.0% of the recommended plant density).