Impact of Intercropping Coriander-Garlic System and Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate on Growth, Productivity and Competitive Indices of Both Components

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Plant Prod. Dept., Fac. Sci. Agric. Environ., Arish Univ., Egypt.

Abstract

This work was carried out in the experimental Farm of the Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, North Sinai, Egypt, during the two consecutive winter seasons of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 to study the impact of different nitrogen fertilizer rates (0.0, 30, 50 and 70 kg N/ feddan), different intercropping systems (sole planting of each component as control, 1: 1, 2: 2 and 2: 3 as row ratio of coriander: garlic, respectively) and their combination treatments on growth traits, yield components and some competitive indices between the two components. The obtained results cleared that the highest values of growth for coriander and garlic, their yield components, the percentages of total carbohydrates and nitrogen was observed when coriander was intercropped with garlic at a row ratio of 2: 3 in comparison with sole crop and the other intercropping systems under study. In contrast to the other nitrogen rates being investigated, applying nitrogen as a soil application at the highest rate (70 kg N /feddan) resulted in a heaviest yield of garlic bulbs per feddan and coriander fruits per plant and feddan. The study concluded that the optimal combination treatment based on competitive indices analysis was the 1.361 and 1.356 land equivalent ratio, the 1.322 and 1.315 area × time equivalent ratio and the 134.11 and 133.55 % land utilization efficiency, was the treatment of 2: 2 intercropping system in combination with 70 kg N /feddan rate. Also, aggressivity estimation showed that coriander was dominant while garlic was dominated.

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