Agro-economic assessment of intercropping of barley with fenugreek and black cumin

Abstract

Nowadays, one of the major challenges is ensuring food security. Hence, intercropping is an ecological cropping system approach for increasing production with an increase in net returns per unit. In this regard, two field experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) during the 2019 – 2020 and 2020 – 2021 seasons at the EL-Gemmeza Agricultural Research Station, Gharbia Governorate Barley Department, Field Crops Research Institute, and Agricultural Research Center, Egypt. The study aimed to evaluate the agro-economics of two intercropping systems (barley-fenugreek and barley-black cumin). Treatments for the first system were sole barley, 9 rows of barley + 1 row of fenugreek (9B+1F), 8 rows of barley + 2 rows of fenugreek (8B+2F), 7 rows of barley + 3 rows of fenugreek (7B+3F), 6 rows of barley + 4 rows of fenugreek (6B+4F), and sole fenugreek. while the second were sole barley, 9 rows of barley + 1 row of black cumin (9B+1BC), 8 rows of barley + 2 rows of black cumin (8B+2BC), 7 rows of barley + 3 rows of black cumin (7B+3BC), 6 rows of barley + 4 rows of black cumin (6B+4BC), and sole black cumin. Results showed that barley-studied traits were significantly affected by intercropping fenugreek or black cumin. Although the highest grain yield of 2.30 tons (fed -1 ) was produced in sole barley, 8B+2F, 6B+4F, 7B+3BC, and 6B+4BC recorded the best trends. Competitive relationships on LER across two seasons tended to increase land usage. In addition, the highest values of total income of 26733 LE (the Egyptian pound) per fed translated into the highest net return of 15501 LE per fed were achieved through intercropping 7B+3BC in the 1st season, followed by 6B+4BC. Thus, the planting system could prove to be more productive and can be successfully performed to attain a higher yield benefit per unit area.