Effect of Mycorrhiza Fungi, Preceding Crops, Mineral and Bio Fertilizers on Maize Intercropping with Cowpea

Atef A. M. Zen El-Dein, Mohamed H. M. Koriem, Moodi Saham Alsubeie, Reem A. Alsalmi, Abdurrahman S. Masrahi, Nadi Awad Al-Harbi, Salem Mesfir Al-Qahtani, Mamdouh M. A. Awad-Allah () and Yaser A. A. Hefny
Additional contact information
Atef A. M. Zen El-Dein: Crop Intensification Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt
Mohamed H. M. Koriem: Crop Intensification Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt
Moodi Saham Alsubeie: Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia
Reem A. Alsalmi: Department of Biology, College of Science, AlBaha University, AlBaha 1988, Saudi Arabia
Abdurrahman S. Masrahi: Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Nadi Awad Al-Harbi: Biology Department, University College of Tayma, University of Tabuk, P.O. Box 741, Tabuk 47512, Saudi Arabia
Salem Mesfir Al-Qahtani: Biology Department, University College of Tayma, University of Tabuk, P.O. Box 741, Tabuk 47512, Saudi Arabia
Mamdouh M. A. Awad-Allah: Rice Research Department, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt
Yaser A. A. Hefny: Crop Intensification Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: One filed experiment was carried out to study the effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza fungi and three preceding winter crops, i.e., Meskawy cultivar of Egyptian clover berseem ( Trifolium alexandrinum L.), Careem cultivar of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris ) and Sakha 94 cultivar of wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and five fertilizer combinations as treatments of NPK mineral and bio fertilizer which included 100% NPK (T1), 75% NPK + arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMFs) (T2), 50% NPK + arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMFs) (T3), 75% NPK + mycrobein (T4) and 50% NPK + mycrobein (T5) on maize intercropping with cowpea. The results showed that berseem was the best as a preceding crop and gave the highest values of maize and cowpea, followed by sugar beet as a preceding crop. While wheat recorded the lowest values. Fertilizer treatments had significant effect on all maize and cowpea traits. The treatment 75% NPK + arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMFs) (T2) gave the highest values. Meanwhile, no significant differences were found between fertilizer treatments T1 (100% NPK mineral) and T2 (75% NPK + arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMFs)) combination on all studied characters of maize. The interaction had a significant effect on most studied characters of maize and cowpea in the two growing seasons. The cultivation of the two components of intercropping after berseem with T2 fertilizer recorded the highest values. Mixing the third cut of cowpea with maize straw increased significantly the quality and digestibility of forge in both seasons. Planting after berseem and T2 fertilizer gave the highest values as yield advantageous for land equivalent ratio (LER) and relative crowding coefficient (K) which recorded 1.51 and 1.6 and 9.45 and 15.35 in the first and second seasons, respectively. The increases in net return were 3955.67 and 5062.50 L.E., which equates to a percentage of 34.25 and 44.71%, by cultivation intercropping component after berseem and T2 fertilizer treatment (75% NPK + arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMFs)) compared with maize pure stand in first and second seasons, respectively.

Keywords: preceding crops; intercropping; arbuscular mycorrhiza; maize; cowpea; fertilization; yield; quality; land use efficiency; net return (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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