EFFECTS OF INTERCROPPING AND LEVELS OF NITROGEN ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF CARROT (Daucus carota L.)

Abstract

A field experiment ":,,asconducted at the Horticulture Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during October 2004 to February 2005 to study the effects of different intercropping practices and levels of nitrogen on the growth and yield of carrot. Three different intercropping practices viz. non-intercrop, Red amaranth intercrop and Bengal spinach intercrop and three levels of nitrogen viz 0, 200, 250 kg per hectare were used in the study. Carrot was sown as a sole crop at a spacing of 25 x 10 em and Red amaranth and Bengal spinach were sown in between the two rows of carrot as intererops. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Leafy vegetables intereropping had significant influence on yield and yield attributes of carrot, except, root diameter. The highest root length (16.59 ern), fresh . weight of root per plant (135 g), and marketable yield (45.40 t/ha) were recorded from control intercrop (10) and lowest were found from Bengal spinach intercrop (i2). Nitrogen (N) had remarkable effect on growth and yield of carrot. The maximum root length '(16.83 em), root diameter (4.98 ern), fresh weight of root per plant (141.40 g), and marketable yield (47.06 t/ha) were obtained from 25b kg Nlha '(N2) and minimum from control (No). In respect of combined effect control intercrop with 250 kg N/ha (lON2) produced highest root length (17.3Tcm), root diameter (5.33 em), fresh weight of root per plant (161.70 g) and marketable yield (52.13 t/ha), Highest intercrop yield (28.33 t/ha) obtained from the IlN2 (Red amaranth intercrop and 250 Kg N/ha) treatment. Economic analysis showed that Red amaranth intercrop and 250 Kg N/ha gave maximum economic benefit with the benefit cost ratio of 5.22. II j,