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.