• Authors:
    • Krolikowska, M.
    • Ceglarek, F.
    • Paza, A.
    • Prochnicka, M.
  • Source: Biuletyn Instytutu Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roslin
  • Issue: 254
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: The paper presents results of the studies carried out in 2002-2005, which aimed to assess the influence of intercrop fertilization on table potato yield and its structure under conditions of East-Central Poland. The following combinations of intercrop fertilization were applied: control object (without intercrop fertilization), farmyard manure, undersown crop (red clover, Italian ryegrass), stubble catch crop (oil radish, oil radish - mulch). The content of dry mass and macroelements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in biomass of intercrops was determined. In the first year after applying intercrop fertilization the potatoes were cultivated. During harvest a total yield and commercial yield of potato tubers were assessed, and after harvest a structure of tuber yield was evaluated. The results obtained in indicated that the highest amount of dry mass and macroelements was introduced into soil with Italian ryegrass and red clover respectively. The fertilizing value of red clover exceeded that of farmyard manure. No significant difference in fertilizing value was found between oil radish and farmyard manure. The plot fertilized with red clover was characterized by the highest proportions of table and seed potatoes, and the lowest participation of small tubers.
  • Authors:
    • Ceglarek, F.
    • Plaza, A.
    • Prochnicka, M.
  • Source: Fragmenta Agronomica
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: The paper presents the results from years 1998-2001, which aim was to describe the influence of stubble catch crops which were plowed down in autumn and left in the form of mulch till spring, in combinations with or without straw on the yield and the structure of yield of potato tubers. A field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm in Zawady, owned by the University of Podlasie in Siedlce. Two factors were taken into account: I - stubble catch crop fertilization (control object - without intercrop fertilization, farmyard manure, white mustard, phacelia, white mustard-mulch, phacelia-mulch); II - straw fertilization (without straw, with straw). The yield of spring barley straw was determined, the yield of fresh mass of stubble catch crop and its content of dry mass and macroelements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg). In the first year after organic fertilization the potatoes were cultivated. During the harvest the total and commercial yield, and also after harvest the structure of tuber yield was determined. The results pointed that, the highest yield of potato tubers was achieved from combinations fertilized with phacelia which was plowed down in autumn, and also phacelia left in the form of mulch till spring in combination with straw. Stubble catch crop and farmyard manure fertilization caused the increase of participation of medium and large tubers in yield.
  • Authors:
    • Balasubramanian, V.
    • Kumar, A.
    • Prabhu, M.
    • Jagadeesan, R.
  • Source: Asian Journal of Horticulture
  • Volume: 4
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This review discusses the various cropping systems (multiple cropping, intercropping and cover cropping) that are successfully adopted for some tropical vegetables in India, including a few tuber vegetables. The role of cropping systems in crop protection (specifically the management of diamond back moth [ Plutella xylostella] in cabbage using collard as a trap crop, use of maize as an intercrop to control a viral disease of pepper, reduction of the incidence of bacterial wilt caused by Pseudomonas solanacearum [ Ralstonia solanacearum] in tomato by intercropping, and use of French marigold [ Tagetes patula] as a trap crop for the control of Meloidogyne incognita on potato) is briefly discussed.
  • Authors:
    • Ghassemi-Golezani, K.
    • Raey, Y.
  • Source: New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Methodologies of competitive interaction quantification between crops are not widely investigated. Therefore, field experiments (using addition series) were conducted in 2005 and 2006, to quantify interspecific and intraspecific competition coefficients and, also, the relative competitive ability (RC) of potato ( Solanum tuberosum) and common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris). The relations between potato tuber yield/plant and common bean density at various densities of potato and also with potato density at different densities of common bean are well described by the reciprocal equations. Potato tuber yield/unit area decreased as common bean density increased. Optimum potato densities on the basis of maximum potato tuber yield/unit area at 0, 20, 30, and 40 plants/m 2 of common bean were obtained at 14, 13, 12, and 12 plants/m 2, as estimated by the parabolic relations between potato tuber yield/unit area and potato densities at different common bean densities. Potato was a stronger competitor than common bean, as a potato plant was equal to 6.22 common bean plants, based on potato tuber yield. A common bean plant, also, was equivalent to 0.0475 of a potato plant, on the basis of common bean grain yield. Therefore, potato was more aggressive than common bean, indicating that potato tuber yield was mostly affected by intraspecific competition, whereas common bean grain yield was mostly affected by interspecific competition. Niche differentiation index (NDI) was smaller than 1, showing severe competition of two species for environmental resources. It was concluded that yield-density relations in intercropping could be well quantified by application of the proposed equations.
  • Authors:
    • Thomas, R.
    • Aw-Hassan, A.
    • Turkelboom, F.
    • Bruggeman, A.
    • Rovere, R.
    • Al-Ahmad, K.
  • Source: Journal of Environment & Development
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This article reviews work that had the objective of introducing agricultural technologies in a marginal dryland area, the Khanasser Valley, northwestern Syria. The highly variable rainfall is barely sufficient to support livelihoods in this traditional barley-livestock production system. The valley is representative of other marginal dryland areas in West Asia and North Africa. We used a farmer-participatory approach to evaluate the performance of agricultural technologies for dry marginal areas in terms of their contribution to livelihoods and effect on the environment. The integrated approach allowed comprehensively comparing and evaluating the viability of promising technologies, including novel crops, intercropping, soil management techniques, and livestock rearing. The results show that improved barley varieties, olives, cumin, and lamb fattening can improve livelihoods, particularly for the land-owning households, whereas other households can benefit indirectly in terms of employment spillovers. These options are also environmentally friendly and sustain the natural resource base.
  • Authors:
    • Singh, O.
    • Sandeep, S.
  • Source: International Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: An experiment was conducted at J.V. College, Baraut, Baghpat during rabi 2003-04 and 204-05 on inter cropping of french bean+potato intercropping with deferent rates of N and K application. The economic analysis of results indicated that intercropping system earned maximum of Rs. 55803/ha net profit which was found Rs. 18949 and Rs. 11014/ha more than net from potato pure and french bean pure, respectively. The application of 60 K 2O/ha earned Rs. 49819/ha maximum profit which has Rs. 8406/ha more over control. As application of 120 kg N/ha earned Rs. 54328/ha net profit and it was found Rs. 23149/ha more over control. The uptake of N was recorded maximum in intercropping system while K-uptake was maximum is sole potato and P-uptake was higher in sole French-been and intercropping. Uptake of nutrients increased with increasing doses of fertilizers application up to highest does of application.
  • Authors:
    • Singh, O.
    • Sandeep, S.
  • Source: International Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted during winter season of 2003-04 and 2004-05 at J.V.P.G. College, Baraut (Bagpat) in western Uttar Pradesh to study the optimum dose of nitrogen for component crop in the sole french bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris Linn.) and patato ( Solanum tubersum L.) and in intercropping system. Frenchbean and Potato yields increased significantly upto the application of 120 Kg N and 60 Kg K 2O/ha. Frenchbean equivalent yield was highest of 31.90 q/ha at 120 kg N/ha and 29.63 q/ha which were found 2.28 q/ha (7.9%) and 6.88 q/ha (28.2%) higher than the equivalent yield in sole potato and sole frenchbean, respectively. Intercropping attained 1.17 L.E.R. which indicates that land may be utilized by 17 per cent more than pure cropping.
  • Authors:
    • Devi, P. S.
    • Singh, M. P.
    • Singh, N. J.
    • Singh, K. I.
    • Singh, N. G.
    • Sharma, K. R.
  • Source: Environment and Ecology
  • Volume: 27
  • Issue: 2A
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Two field trials were carried out to study the effect of intercropping and cow-urine plant extracts on the incidence of Pieris brassicae Linnaeus, Plutella xylostella Linnaeus and Brevicoryne brassicae Linnaeus in cabbage. The results revealed that the minimum incidence of P. brassicae, P. xylostella and B. brassicae was observed in cabbage intercropped with marigold registering mean population of 4.02, 4.20 and 50.70 insects/plant, respectively, and maximum population was recorded when cabbage grown with broad bean recording mean population of 8.23, 9.87 and 63.40 per plant, respectively compared 11.24, 9.92 and 71.47 per plant on cabbage as sole crop. The plots of cabbage intercropped with marigold yielded highest (17.30 t/ha) with net-return of Rs 51, 900/ha followed by tomato (Rs 50, 100/ha) and garlic (Rs 46,050/ha) with their corresponding additional return over cabbage sole crop of Rs 54300, Rs 49,550 and Rs 28, 200/ha, respectively. The results of insecticidal evaluation indicated that the plots treated with dichlorvos at 500 a. i/ha resulted in significant reduction of butterfly, moth and aphid recording lowest incidence of 1.11, 4.16 and 11.64 insects/plant compared to 11.40, 19.71 and 40.23 insects/plant, respectively in untreated control plots. Dichlorvos was at par with calpaste at 1, 500 g/ha for P. brassicae, while it was at par with Jatropha gossypifolia extract at 12500 ml/ha for P. xylostella. The treatments with V. trifolia and Acorus calamus showed their inferiority over rest of the test compounds with a record of maximum butterfly larvae, moth larvae and aphid population. The highest mean yield (23.51 t/ha) was recorded from dichlorvos treated plots followed by the plots treated with calpaste (22.76 t/ha), cal-10 (21.95 t/ha), Melia azedarach (21.21 t/ha), cal-MB (20.11 t/ha) and J. gossypifolia (19.60 t/ha) compared to 17.63 to 18.11 t/ha in the rest of the five insecticidal treatments and 13.95 t/ha in untreated control. The extent of avoidable yield loss due to the incidence of butterfly, moth and aphid was estimated to be 40.66% in untreated check which was reduced to 3.19 (calpaste) -24.67% ( A. calamus) in different insecticidal treatments.
  • Authors:
    • Li, Y.
    • Liu, L.
    • Tang, S.
  • Source: Southwest China Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 22
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Field experiment were conducted to investigate the effects of flue-cured tobacco and sweet potato intercropping on quality and economic benefits of flue-cured tobacco leaves. The results were as follow: compared with monocropping, flue-cured tobacco intercropping with sweet potato the yield of flue-cured tobacco leaves were increased 117.99 kg per hectare and increased by 4.26%, the proportion of superior and middle tobacco leaves were increased by 3.24%-14.53% and 4.54%-12.44%, respectively, meanwhile the proportion of low-grade leaves was decreased by 10.08% and 25.28%. The average price of flue-cured tobacco leaves were increased by 0.50-0.53 yuan per kilogram and the rise range was between 4.38%-4.56%. In addition, the sweet potato tube and bushrope yield were increased by 3226-7856 and 19 351-36 520 kilogram per hectare, respectively, income respectively increased by 3871-9427 and 5805-10956 yuan per hectare, the total economic income were increased 16 368-18 133 yuan per hectare and increased by 48.82%-56.40%, the different of producing value is significant at 5% level.
  • Authors:
    • Ratsch, R.
    • Taraken, I.
  • Source: ACIAR Technical Reports Series
  • Issue: 71
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This paper explains the concept of composted mounding, which is used to cultivate sweetpotato/kaukau ( Ipomoea batatas) in many locations in Enga province and parts of Southern Highlands and Western Highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea (PNG). It draws both from published literature and recent findings on sweetpotato cultivation in the PNG highlands. The practice of composted mounding allows permanent land use and intercropping, and facilitates successive multiple harvests of sweetpotato tubers and other vegetables. It counteracts the risks of frosts and soil-borne pests and diseases, and reduces soil erosion. It offsets the inherent soil-fertility problems associated with the dominant volcanic ash soils in the mounding zone of the PNG highlands. The method utilises locally available organic materials such as garden debris, weeds, grasses and farmyard manure as compost. Numerous agronomic trials have been conducted to evaluate the effects of composted mounding on sweetpotato yield. However, further research is needed on the decomposition process to assess the beneficial effects of mounding in terms of reduced risk of frost, and pest and disease damage, and to evaluate the benefits of using ever-greater rates of compost in the light of the extra costs of collecting the compost material.