Derebe Bitwoded, Worku Abebe, Chanie Yazie, Wolie Andualem
Adet Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 8, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Bahir Dar University College of Agriculture, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2021 Nov 5;7(11):e08319. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08319. eCollection 2021 Nov.
Intercropping is one of the sustainable intensification methods which reduces the demand for increased land resources. However, growing of two or more crops as an intercrop is not business as usual but it needs extensive knowledge about the nature of component crops to grow in harmony. Hence selection and evaluation of compatible legume species for intercropping with finger millet in the study area is necessary.
A field experiment was conducted at two major finger millet producing areas of northwestern Ethiopia. Four legumes crops such as (sweet lupine, cowpea, haricot bean, and soybean) intercropped with finger millet.
The analysis of variance showed that intercropping of finger millet with different legumes had yield advantage in both districts as compared to component crops. Land equivalent ratio was more than unity for all treatments in both districts except for finger millet intercropped with soybean at South Achefer district. At Guangua finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean showed 27% and 12% yield advantage, respectively and also finger millet + cowpea preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for animal feed. At South Achefer finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea showed 38% and 35% yield advantage respectively and also finger millet + sweet lupine preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield to make stew as a protein source, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for human and animal feed.
Therefore intercropping, finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean at Guangua and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea at South Achefer preferred by farmers and also had yield advantage as compared to component crops. Hence finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean recommended for Guangua and similar agro-ecologies and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea for South Achefer and similar agro-ecologies as 1, 2 option respectively.
间作是可持续集约化种植方法之一，可减少对新增土地资源的需求。然而，种植两种或更多作物作为间作并非常规农事，而是需要深入了解组成作物的特性，以便和谐生长。因此，在研究区域选择和评估适合与黍稷间作的豆科植物品种很有必要。
在埃塞俄比亚西北部两个主要黍稷产区进行了田间试验。将四种豆科作物（甜羽扇豆、豇豆、菜豆和大豆）与黍稷间作。
方差分析表明，与单作作物相比，在两个地区，黍稷与不同豆科作物间作均具有产量优势。除南阿切费尔地区黍稷与大豆间作外，两个地区所有处理的土地当量比均大于1。在瓜瓜地区，黍稷 + 豇豆和黍稷 + 大豆分别表现出27%和12%的产量优势，而且黍稷 + 豇豆因其高产、改善土壤肥力及适合作为动物饲料而最受农民青睐。在南阿切费尔地区，黍稷 + 甜羽扇豆和黍稷 + 豇豆分别表现出38%和35%的产量优势，而且黍稷 + 甜羽扇豆因其高产可作为炖菜的蛋白质来源、改善土壤肥力及适合人畜食用而最受农民青睐。
因此，瓜瓜地区的黍稷 + 豇豆和黍稷 + 大豆以及南阿切费尔地区的黍稷 + 甜羽扇豆和黍稷 + 豇豆既受农民青睐，与单作作物相比又具有产量优势。因此，建议在瓜瓜及类似农业生态区选择黍稷 + 豇豆和黍稷 + 大豆作为第1、2选项，在南阿切费尔及类似农业生态区选择黍稷 + 甜羽扇豆和黍稷 + 豇豆作为第1、2选项。
