EFFECTS OF LIGHT INTERCEPTION ON SECOND INTERCROP PRODUCTION IN SUGARCANE

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute (BSRI) farm during the 2005-2006 cropping season under irrigated conditions to investigate the possibility of growing mungbean as a sequential intercropping at 90 and 150 cm sugarcane row spacing with sugarcane varieties Isd 31 and Isd 32. Results showed that cultivation of mungbean as the 2nd intercrop with sugarcane leaf clipping had no adverse effects on tillering, millable cane production and cane yield. Irrespective of varieties sugarcane cultivation with leaf clipping at 150 cm row spacing significantly increased fresh plant weight, leaf, grain number and branch production. Leaf clipping had a significant impact on 1000 grain weight, leaf area and other traits of mungbean. It indicates that sugarcane leaf clipping and wider row spacing reduced light interception and allowed higher light availability to mungbean grown as the 2nd intercrop resulting in higher photosynthesis.