STUDIES ON INTERCROPPING PEANUT AND COWPEA ON GRAIN SORGHUM

Tow field experiments were carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design 2017 and 2018 seasons at the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assuit Governorate, Egypt to study the effects of intercropping peanut (Giza-6) and cowpea (Carem-7) as a secondary crop with grain sorghum (Horus) as a main Crop. Each experiment consisted of five different intercropping systems. Sole grain sorghum crop (100%), grain sorghum and legume each in one side of ridge (100% for each) and tow spatial arrangements of 1:2, 2:1 and 2:2 rows for grain sorghum alternated with legume. Each experiment revealed that growth yield and yield components, competitive relationships and chemical analysis were computed.
In general, the results indicated that yield had significant differences among the intercropping systems. Intercropping system of T5 (2:2) gave the maximum yield/plant and the maximum yield (14.71&14.93ardab/fed.,) under cowpea than peanut plants compared to the other intercropping systems in both seasons. Moreover, intercropping system T5 (2:2) recorded the highest values of protein % with the combined cowpea (8.750&8.965) than with peanut (8.553&8.672).
Concerning the intercropping systems on growth and yield of cowpea and peanut, results reveal that the response was varied and differ with each intercropping system, but generally, intercropping system of T5 (2:2) gave the most effect of all growth and yield
 Moreover, results indicated that intercropping system of T5 (2:2) was the best for Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) and most efficient intercropping system from Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC) as well as Aggressiveness (A) revealed that cowpea was dominant component during all intercropping systems.