Productivity and Land Equivalent Ratio of Intercropping Cotton with Some Winter Crops in Egypt

Two field experiments were carried out at Research Station, El-Sharkia Governorate, ARC, Egypt during 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons to inv estigate the effect of relay intercropping cotton with some winter crops as compared with sequential solid plantings of these crops on the productivity, land equivalent ratio and net return of these systems. The split plot des ign with three replications was used. Two cotton cultivars were grown in the main plots , while cropping systems were allocated in sub plots as followed: relay intercropping cotton with faba bean and wheat at 20 March, faba bean and wheat were grown with two population densities. These treatments were compared with growing cotton after Egyptian clover each of 20 th March, 20 April and 20 May, as well as, faba bean at 20 th April and wheat at 20 th May in solid plantings. Intercropping cotton with faba bean and wheat cause d significant reductions in yields of these crops. The results showed that cotton cultivar Giza 86 had igher values of seed cotton yield than Giza 90. Intercropping cotton with faba bean at 20 th March gave higher values, also it had the same effects of cotton characters grown in sequential so lid plantings at 20 th April after faba bean and after Egyptian clover at 20 th March. Intercropping cotton with wheat at 20 th March had the same values of cotton characters of traditional culture. Late planting date of cotton (20 th May) as followed after Egyptian clover or wheat caused significant reducti ons in cotton characters as compared with those grown in the early date. Low plant densities of fab a bean or wheat decreased their effects on cotton characters under relay intercropping. Also, cotton cultivars and the interactions between cotton cultivars and cropping systems had insignificant effects on yield of preceding crops ( faba bean and wheat) while cropping systems had significant effects on yield of wheat and faba bean . Solid planting of wheat in two rows/ridge (S 10) has the highest grain yield, also, solid planting of fa ba bean in high density has the highest seed yield. All intercropping systems gave advantages in LERs a s compared with sequential cropping systems where it ranged from 1.9 to 2.81 of S 2 and S4 respectively. The results revealed that cotton cultivar Giza 86 had higher values of economic retu rn han cultivar Giza 90.