Effect of Intercropping Patterns and Laser

Land Leveling on Soybean and Maize Crop Association

[34]

El-Khatib¹, S.I. and Sahar A. Sherief ²

Abstract

          Two field experiments were carried out in two growing seasons (2001 and 2002) to investigate the response of the effect of the different laser land leveling (0.00%, 0.03% and traditional) and two intercropping patterns (2:2 and 2:4) on water use
efficiency, plant growth, yield and total net return for soybean and maize crops.
Results showed that using 0.03% slope laser land leveling resulted in highest
soybean yield under intercropping pattern 2:4. Meanwhile water use efficiency in the pattern 2:2 was 0.79, 0.82 and 0.71 kg/m³ under 0.00%, 0.03% and traditional land leveling respectively, in case of maize. Water use efficiency in the pattern 2:4 was 0.88, 1.06 and 0.66 kg/m³ under 0.00%, 0.03% and traditional land leveling 
respectively, in case of soybean. On the other hand, The highest value of Land equivalent ratio (LER) was 1.67 in (2:4) pattern under 0.03% slope . The highest total income was 3745 LE/fed in (2:4) pattern under 0.03% slope.