Enhance productivity and net economic return by intercropping sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) with common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under drip irrigation

Intercropping represents ways of maximizing water use efficiency (WUE) for higher yields per unit of irrigation water applied. The field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of Arab El-Awammer Research, Station, Assiut during the two successive growing summer seasons of 2017 and 2018, to study the effect of different irrigation regimes (120, 100 and 80% ETo) and intercropping systems (sole sunflower, sole common bean and intercropping sunflower and common bean) for enhanced productivity and net economic return under drip irrigation. Irrigation with 120% ETo treatment gave higher yield and its compounds and oil % compared to 100 and 80% ETo treatments for sunflower and common bean. The highest stem, head diameters and 100-seed weight and seed and oil yield produced with sole sunflower as compared with intercropping of sunflower with common bean which had the lowest values in both growing seasons. The highest values of IWUE (0.723 and 0.704 kg/m3) were obtained at intercropping under irrigation with 100% ETo. Values of land equivalent ratio of various intercropping systems were larger than one in the intercropping systems. Sunflower + common bean cropping system produced higher values of net return than sole sunflower and sole common bean. The highest net return (2709 US$/ha) were obtained when irrigated sunflower + common bean intercropping system with 120% ETo in the second season while the lowest net return (234 US$/ha) were obtained when irrigated sole sunflower with 80% ETo treatment in the first season.