Ouda,S.A. T. El Mesiry, 1 1 1E.F. Abdallah, 2M.S. Gaballah ( 2007). Effect of Water Stress on the yield of Soybean and Maize Grown under Different Intercropping PatternsAustralian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 1(4): 578-585, 2007
Abstract: Two field experiments were conducted at Giza Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt during 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. The aim of the experiment was to determine the effect of water stress on the yield soybean/maize under different intercropping patterns and their water use efficiency. Intercropping patterns were: 1:1, 1:2, 2:1 and 2:2 soybean/maize. Irrigation treatments consisted of: irrigation using 1.2 pan evaporation coefficient (control), irrigation using 1.0 pan evaporation coefficient (about 7% reduction in irrigation water than the control) and irrigation using 0.8 pan evaporation coefficient (about 14% reduction in irrigation water than the control). The yield of soybean and maize under intercropping was changed to units of cereal to simplify the comparison between different intercropping patterns. Water use efficiency values were calculated for the different treatments by dividing yield in cereal units by consumptive water use. Results showed that the highest yield was obtained under 1:2 soybean/maize intercropping pattern and using irrigation with evaporation pan coefficient equaled to 1.2, compared with either sole maize or sole soybean planting. Furthermore, the highest amounts of irrigation water were applied to 1:2 soybean/maize intercropping pattern for the three irrigation treatments in both growing seasons. Results also indicated that under 1.0 and 0.8 pan evaporation coefficients (7 and 14% reduction in irrigation water than the control, respectively), the lowest reduction in both soybean and maize yield was obtained under 1:2 soybean/maize intercropping pattern. The highest water use efficiency were obtained under 1:2 soybean/maize intercropping pattern and irrigation with 1.0 evaporation pan coefficient. However, water use efficiency was relatively low under irrigation with 0.8 evaporation pan coefficient. Therefore, it could be concluded that to attain high water use efficiency from 1:2 soybean/maize intercropping pattern, irrigation should be applied using 1.0 pan evaporation coefficient, which could save up to 7% of irrigation amounts.
Keywords: (water stress, soybean/ maize intercropping, irrigation treatments, water use efficiency)
