Wheat-chickpea yield performance, competition and resource use in intercropping, under rainfed conditions of South Australia / Mohammad Reza Jahansooz.

Bibliography: p. 203-222.xi, 222 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.The aim of this thesis was to quantify yield performance, competition effects and the capture and utilisation of resources of some important winter cereals and legumes as intercrops.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Agronomy and Farming Systems, 200

Crop Science -ICSC2004 Capture and use of water by wheat and chickpea in sole crops and intercrops, under dryland conditions of South Australia

Abstract In dryland regions such as the cereal zone of South Australia, the most limiting biophysical resource is water. Field experiments were conducted to quantify the use of soil-water and production of biomass in sole crops and crop mixtures in a study designed to evaluate the efficiency of intercropping in the use of this natural resource. Water-use and water use efficiency (ratio of biomass to water-use) for sole wheat were greater than for sole chickpea, but were similar for sole wheat and mixture. The land equivalent ratio showed no advantage or disadvantage of intercropping over sole crops. However, the water in the soil with the mixture was greater than the sole wheat. The presence of legumes in the mixture probably increased the N pool of the soil and might enhance the growth of the current and subsequent crops in an environment where the soil is poor in nutrient content. Media summary The study showed that intercropping was as efficient as sole wheat, while a greater amount of residual water and probably nitrogen in the soil in the intercropped plot improved fertility for the subsequent crop. Key Words Water use and water use efficiency