Wheat intercropped with tori (Brassica campestris var. toria) and pea (Pisum sativum) in the subsistence farming system of the Nepalese hills

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at Lumle Agricultural Research Centre (LARC) farm, Nepal, during the winter seasons of 1992/93 and 1993/94 in order to study the profitability of intercropping wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with tori (Brassica campestris var. toria) and pea (Pisum sativum L.). A sole crop of wheat planted at 120 kg seed ha⁻¹ was compared with sole crops of tori and of pea planted at 8 kg ha⁻¹ and 60 kg seed ha⁻¹, respectively, wheat+tori mixed-intercropped at 120[ratio ]6, 120[ratio ]4 and 120[ratio ]2 kg seed ha⁻¹and wheat+pea at 120[ratio ]45, 120[ratio ]30 and 120[ratio ]15 kg seed ha⁻¹.

Results over the two seasons showed that the intercropping of wheat+pea was profitable in terms of overall grain yield, land advantage, monetary advantage, economic return and meeting the dietary requirements of the subsistence farmers, although the sole crop of pea gave the highest net return. Mixing pea with wheat did not reduce wheat yields in either year except when pea was sown at 45 kg seed ha⁻¹, which reduced wheat yield significantly in the first season. For wheat+pea intercropping, sowing pea at 30–45 kg ha⁻¹ was the most profitable. The wheat+tori intercrop did not perform as well and was not as profitable as either sole crop. Intercropping of tori had a negative effect on wheat yield at all seed rates in the first year.