Effect of additive intercropping sorghum:cowpea on weed biomass and density in limited irrigation system

Document Type : Research Article

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of additive intercropping grain sorghum and cowpea on weed control in limited irrigation condition, an experiment was conducted in the research farm of college of agriculture, University of Tehran in spring 2006. The experimental treatments were arranged in split plots based on a complete randomized block design with four replications. The limited irrigation (moisture stress) treatment of IR1: normal weekly irrigation (control), IR2: moderate moisture stress during vegetative and generative growth, IR3: moderate moisture stress during vegetative and severe during generative growth, IR4: severe moisture stress during vegetative and moderate during generative growth were allocated to the main plots and different combination of sorghum and cowpea additive intercropping systems of S1: sole sorghum (with weeding), S2, S3 and S4 an additive series 15,30 and 45% of the sole seed rate of cowpea mixed with full sorghum seed rate and S5: sole sorghum (without weeding) were
allocated to sub plots. The results of this experiment showed that weed biomass and weed density were significantly less in sorghum-cowpea intercropping treatments compared to sole sorghum (S5). S4 treatment had the lowest number of weeds compared to other treatments. These findings suggest that additive intercropping sorghum-cowpea suppresses weeds and it is an effective way for biological weed control and acceptable yield of sorghum.

20.1001.1.20081472.1388.7.1.9.7

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