Sole and intercropping Sunflower-Mungbean for spring cultivation in Peshawar

Yield of some crops performs better in the intercropping than sole cropping system. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) canopy is fragile providing a lot of ground cover, hence, therefore, has a great potential to intercrop with a short stature and/or duration crop making it comparable for the better net return in a cropping system. Field experiment was, therefore, expressly conducted to study the mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in sunflower intercropped on different sowing dates (same sowing date with sunflower, one, two and three weeks delay in sowing from the main sunflower) and rows in combinations (1:1 and 1:2) sunflower-mungbean as intercrop and sole crop of each species for to study yield and yield traits during spring 2011 and 2012 crop growth seasons. Experiments were conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD), replicated four times at Agronomy Research Farm, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were recorded on plant phenology, yield and yield traits of the main (sunflower) and companion (mungbean) crops. Intercropping did not influence any of the observed morphological traits, yield contributing traits or grain yield of the main sunflower crop. Companion mungbean crop also did not show any advantage (p<0.05) on sole mungbean due to resources competition i.e. solar radiations, nutrients, water and space in the canopy on the ground area. Treatment row combination i.e. 1:1 and 1:2 (sunflower : mungbean) also did not show any advantage in grains yield and/or any of the observed yield trait of mungbean which exhibited sufficient space under the sunflower canopy for mungbean growth and development as additional crop for sustainable soil fertility. Different sowing dates i.e. about a month in delay sowing of intercrop from main sunflower crop did not show any significant (p<0.05) loss in yield or yield contributing traits. The study suggested that mungbean (Cv. Chakwal mung-06) can expectantly be intercropped in sunflower hybrid (Hysun-33) to make it competitive with any other crop of the cropping system in region subject to working on an appropriate planting geometry for sunflower and potential variety of the sunflower to be intercropped.