Abstract:
Food barley and lupine are food crops often traditionally grown in intercropping in north western
Ethiopia. But, there is no any documented information about the optimum seeding rate and time of
lupine intercropping with barley in Gozamin District northwestern Ethiopia. Hence, a field
experiment was conducted on seeding rate and time of intercropping of lupine with barley in
Gozamin District to determine the appropriate planting density and time of lupine intercropping for
harnessing the possible maximum productivity of barley fields. Factorial combinations offour time
of lupine intercropping (on the same date, two weeks, four weeks and six weeks after barley sown)
and three planting densities of lupine (5cm, 1 Ocm, l 5cm intra-row spacing between lupine plants)
as well as two sole cropping of barley and lupine were laid out in randomized compete block
design (RCBD) with three replications. The results indicated that there was no significant
difference among all treatment combinations on phenological, vegetative growth and yield related
parameters of barley. Except days to 50% emergence and number of grain per pod. However,
highly significant differences among treatment combinations were observed for all growth and
yield parameters of lupine. In the intercropping system of lupine with barley, the base crop barley
completely dominated lupine in all treatment combinations. The land equivalent ratio (LER) was
more than one in most cases to show more advantages of intercropping of lupine with barley than
their sole cropping separately. The highest LER (1.48) and monitory advantage index (MAI)
(17011.8) were recorded in the intercropping of lupine simultaneously with barley at low planting
density which was intercropped with l 5cm intra-row spacing between lupine crop. The economic
analysis had also confirmed that this treatment combinations (lupine intercropping simultaneously
with barley at low planting density) gave the best advantage in the study area that can be
recommended for further adoption by barley producing farmers. But, to come up with pragmatic
recommendations for wider utilization of intercropping of lupine with barley, similar studies should
be carried out further in different areas and cropping seasons.