PJB-2007-49
PERFORMANCE OF FORAGE SORGHUM INTERCROPPED WITH FORAGE LEGUMES UNDER DIFFERENT PLANTING PATTERNS
AZRAF-UL-HAQ AHMAD, RIAZ AHMAD, NAEEM MAHMOOD AND A. TANVEER
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of forage legume intercropping in forage-sorghum based intercropping system at 30 cm spaced single rows, 30 × 30 cm cross planting with intercrop, 45 cm spaced two-row strips (15/45 cm) and 75 cm spaced four-row strips. The results displayed that the highest forage yield (46.1 t ha-1) was obtained from sorghum grown alone in 45 cm spaced paired rows compared to the minimum of 36.0 t ha-1 from sorghum intercropped with clusterbean under the pattern of 75 cm spaced four-row strips. The data exhibited that planting geometry of 45 cm spaced double-row strips produced the highest forage sorghum yield during both the years while in intercropping systems, sorghum alone produced significantly the maximum green forage yield in 30 cm spaced single rows. Legume associations decrease the forage sorghum yield than pure stand of sorghum. However, intercropping of forage sorghum with legumes in the pattern of 45 cm spaced double-row strips appeared to be more productive and profitable than the monocropped sorghum. It would suggest that for the purpose of getting higher yield of palatable, nutritious and high quality sorghum fodder, farmers should adopt the practice of intercropping forage sorghum with forage legumes, preferably cowpea and sesbania, under the planting pattern of 45-cm spaced two-row strips with 15 cm space between the rows in a strip (15/45).
To Cite this article:
Download
