Effects of Radish and Turnip Intercropping with Faba Bean on Growth and Yield for these Crops under Assiut conditions

The current study evaluates the efficiencies of faba bean, turnip and  radish grown as sole crops and when radish and turnip intercropped with  faba bean on growth, yield and quality characteristics. A field experiment was carried out during 2014- 2015 and 2015-2016 seasons at the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. Intercropping of turnip and radish with faba bean resulted in significantly higher yields of both crops (turnip and radish) as compared with their sole cropping. All other characteristics (plant growth and yield components) of all the two crops which indicate yielding efficiency enhansment as a result of intercropping. Analysis of intercropping treatments revealed that faba bean intercropping with turnip increased the yield of turnip by (50.87- 51.13%)when planting were done in sprinkle and by(18.18-19.35%) when planting were done in hills as compared with sole crops in the first and second seasons respectively. However intercropping radish with faba bean resulted in the highest yield in radish by (66.74- 67.48%) when planting were done in sprinkle and by (75.27-81.55%) when planting were done in hills as compared with sole crops in the first and second season respectively.Yield of faba bean increased when intercropped with radish by(9.82-13.16%) rather than intercropping with turnip or sole cropping. Land equivalent ratio (LER) of faba bean-radish intercropping was, on average,2.7 for both years.With regard to faba bean- turnip intercropping, (LER) was, on average, 2.6 for both years.