Yield, yield components and potential weed control of intercropping bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) with sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Document Type : Research Article

Abstract

In order to study the yield and yield components in intercropping of bean and sweet basil and
evaluating effect of intercropping on weed control, an experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in the growing season of the year 2008. The experimental treatments were: 1- sole crop of bean 2- sole crop of sweet basil 3- strip intercropping of bean and sweet basil (four row bean and two row sweet basil) 4- strip intercropping of bean and sweet basil (two row sweet basil and four row bean) 5- row intercropping of bean and sweet basil were with and without weed control. For this purpose a Complete Randomized Block design with 3 replications was used. Results showed that economic and biologic yield of bean, number of pods and number of seeds per plant were affected by different treatments and that were no significant difference in number
of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight and harvest index in bean. Number of inflorescences, number of nodes per plant, number of seeds per plant, number of branches, economic and biologic yield in sweet basil also affected by different treatments but there were no significant difference in the 1000-seeds weight and harvest index of sweet basil. Lowest dry mater (DM) of weed was obtained in sole crop sweet basil and strip intercropping with four rows sweet basil and the highest dry mater of weed was in sole crop of bean. The highest Leaf area index (LAI) in bean was obtained in sole crop with weed control and the highest leaf area index in sweet basil was in row intercropping with weed control. The highest Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was obtained in row intercropping with weed control.

20.1001.1.20081472.1388.7.2.21.1

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