Productivity of Intercropping with Tomato and Basil under Different Planting Densities at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

Intensive crop cultivation like inter-cropping is a reasonable agronomic practice to fulfill and sustain food security in areas where there is land shortage like that of Wondo Genet areas. An experiment was conducted at Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center experimental farm to examine productivity and economic return. The experiment was a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement in RCBD consisting of ten treatments: two basil row arrangements; one tomato row alternating with one basil row (1T:1B) and one tomato row alternating with two basil rows (1T:2B) and four basil population densities (66666, 50000, 33333 and 16666 plants ha -1). Results of the study indicated that the intercropping of tomato with basil had a total LER value greater than one which showed the advantage of intercropping over sole cropping of each crop. Intercropping of tomato with basil at 100% population density gave a total LER value of 1.9 and MAI value of 194600 ETB ha-1, respectively. Therefore, basil with a density of 33,333 plants ha-1 at a spacing of 100 cm × 30cm by 1T:1B row arrangements could be recommended for intercropping with tomato in the target area, based on its better compatibility, productivity, and economic benefit. Keywords: Economic return, Land Equivalent Ratio, Monetary Advantage Index DOI: 10.7176/ALST/91-03 Publication date: January 31st 202