Intercropping wheat (Triticum aestivum) with faba bean (Vicia faba) combined with vermicompost and NPS fertilizer application increases crop yields and agronomic efficiency in the humid mid-highlands of Ethiopia

Figures & data

Figure 1. Dire and Legedadi watershed map.

Figure 2. Monthly rainfall distribution of the study areas (data source: NMSAE, 2023).

Figure 3. Soil type map of Dire and Legedadi watersheds.

Figure 4. Field management of wheat–faba bean intercropping in Dire and Legedadi site.

Table 1. Treatments at Dire and Legedadi watersheds, humid-mid highlands of Ethiopia during 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons.

Code	Description of treatments
T1	Sole wheat without fertilizer application
T2	Sole faba bean without fertilizer application
T3	Wheat with100% recommended NPS + urea fertilizer rate
T4	Wheat with100% recommended vermicompost rate
T5	Wheat with 50% recommended rate NPS + urea fertilizer and half rate VC rate
T6	Wheat and faba bean intercropping with 50% recommended rate NPS fertilizer + urea and half rate VC
T7	Wheat and faba bean intercropping with 50% recommended rate NPS + urea fertilizer
T8	Wheat and faba bean intercropping with 50% recommended rate VC

Table 2. Chemical properties of vermicompost.

Parameters	Result
TN (%)	1.35
Organic carbon	8.7
Pav (mg kg^−1)	16.37
K (cmol^+kg^−1)	0.64
CEC (cmol^+kg^−1)	58.01

TN: total nitrogen; Pav: available phosphorus, K: potassium CEC: cation exchange capacity

Table 3. Treatments effect on growth and yield parameters of faba bean in 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons (combined over years) in Dire and Legedadi site.

	PH (cm)	SC (no)	PPP (no)	SPP (no)	PH (cm)	SC (no)	PPP (no)	SPP (no)
Treatments	Dire				Legedadi
T2	79.7^c	19.5^b	3.9^c	2.1^c	90.0^c	21.4^b	4.6^c	2.4^b
T6	93.9^a	23.4^a	6.5^a	3.3^a	118.0^a	24.2^a	7.7^a	2.9^a
T7	92.0^a	21.7^ab	6.1^a	2.6^b	111.0^ab	22.8^ab	7.4^a	2.56^b
T8	89.7^ab	21.2^b	5.3^b	2.5^b	96.0 ^bc	22.5^ab	5.9^b	2.5^b
Mean	88.8	21.5	5.45	2.63	103.7	22.7	6.88	2.61
Standard error	1.29	0.72	0.275	0.09	1.01	1.02	1.45	0.09
p Value	0.01	0.060	0.004	0.002	0.027	0.137	0.002	0.008
F value	47.2	4.32	33.52	45.45	6.3	5.45	15.18	55.42
Level of significance	*	ns	**	**	*	^ns	**	**

In the notation used, ^∗ and ^∗∗ indicates significance at p < 0.05, 0.01 and 0.001, respectively,

ns: not significant at p < 0.05.

Figure 5. Treatments effect on growth and yield parameters of wheat in 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons (combined over years) in Dire and Legedadi site.

Figure 6. Interrelationships of biomass yield and grain yields (kg ha⁻¹) of wheat and faba bean intercropping in Dire and Legedadi sites (combined over years).

Table 4. Treatments effect on yield and yield components of wheat in 2021 and 2022 cropping seasons (combined over years) in Dire and Legedadi sites.

T	Dire site					Legedadi site
	TB kg ha^−1	GY kg ha^−1	WEY kg ha^−1	SY kg ha^−1	GMV (USD ha^−1)	TB kg ha^−1	GY kg ha^−1	WEY kg ha^−1	SY kg ha^−1	GMV (USD ha^−1)
T1	5073^f	1400.3^g	1400.3^e	3684.0^c	1174.1^g	5104^g	1420.0^g	1420.0	3684.0^f	1260.2^g
T3	12883^a	4000.3^a	4656.3^a	8227.0^a	3354.1^d	12700^a	4151.7^a	4691.7	8548.3^a	3481.0^d
T4	9433^c	3140.3^c	3140.3^d	6293.0^b	2633.0^f	9510^c	3285.3^c	3285.3	6224.7^c	2754.6^f
T5	11500^b	3827.3^b	3645.3^c	6756.0^b	3207.3^e	10317^b	3927.3^b	3560.7	6389.3^b	3291.1^e
T6	8483^d	2647.0^d	4104.2^b	5836.3^c	6150.9^a	7658^d	2510.0^d	5495.0	5148.0^d	6553.9^a
T7	6133^e	2023.7^e	3656.9^c	4109.7^d	4575.5^b	6171^e	2128.3^e	3928.3	4042.7^e	4467.6^b
T8	5767^ef	1754.0^f	3101.8^d	4012.7^d	4340.1^c	5754^f	1821.7^f	4348.8	3932.3^ef	4305.5^c
Mean	8324.4	2734.9	2963.1	5476.6	82573	8044.8	2749.2	3818.5	5424.2	3686.9
Standard error	326.03	437.6	125.3	185.8	262.3	215.6	75.6	35.2	272.6	56.8
P value	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001
F value	93.04	377.7	36.52	83.9	586.45	368.9	390.9	143.7	83.3	566.5
Level of significance	***	***	***	***	***	***	***	***	***	***

***significant at p < 0.05.

Means in a column with the same letter signifies that they are not significantly different from one another at a significance level of p < 0.05.

T: treatment; TB: total biomass; TY: total yield, SY: straw yield; GMV: gross monetary value; USD: 53.67 Ethiopian birr.

Figure 7. The effect of treatments on LER of wheat and faba bean at Dire and Legedadi sites in 2021 and 2022 (combined over years) cropping seasons.

Table 5. Relative crowding coefficient (k), aggressivity value (A) and system productivity index (SPI) of wheat and faba bean grown in intercrops in 2021 and 2022 (combined over years) in Dire and Legedadi sites.

	Relative crowding coefficients						Aggressivity				System
Treatments	Dire			Legedadi			Dire		Legedadi		Productivity index
	Wheat	FB	K	Wheat	FB	K	Wheat	FB	Wheat	FB	Dire	Legedadi
T6	2.21	1.32	2.91	2.14	1.11	2.38	0.09	−0.09	0.19	−0.19	5672.02	4423.80
T7	3.15	0.84	2.64	3.42	0.68	2.33	0.02	−0.02	0.16	−0.16	4122.53	3751.54
T8	3.88	0.72	2.81	3.8	0.56	2.13	0.05	−0.05	0.13	−0.13	4088.59	3535.12
Mean	3.08	0.96	2.79	3.12	0.78	2.28	0.05	−0.05	0.16	−0.16	4627.71	3903.49

Figure 8. Nitrogen and phosphorus content of wheat in 2021–2022 cropping seasons (combined over years) at Dire and Legedadi sites (nitrogen content of straw [SN], nitrogen content of grain [GN], total nitrogen [TN], phosphorus content of straw [SP], phosphorus content of grain [GP], total phosphorus [TP]).

Figure 9. Treatments effect on nutrient use efficiency of wheat at Dire and Legedadi sites in 2021 and 2022 (combined over years) cropping seasons (recovery efficiency of phosphorus [REP], recovery efficiency of nitrogen [REN], agronomic efficiency of phosphorus [AEP] and agronomic efficiency of nitrogen [AEN]).

Figure 10. Treatments effect on nutrient use efficiency of faba bean at Dire and Legedadi sites in 2021 and 2022 (combined over years) cropping seasons.

Table 6. Economic efficiency of wheat–faba bean intercropping in 2021–2022 cropping seasons (combined over years).

Treatments	Adj. WY	Adj. SYW	Adj. SYF	Adj. FY	GFB WY	GFB FY	GFB SYW	GFB SYF	TC	NB	MRR
Dire site
T1	1400.3	3684.0	0.0	0.0	1036.2	0.0	552.6	0.0	138.9	1449.9	1066.8
T2	0.0	0.0	3326.5	1100.8	0.0	1012.7	0.0	133.1	109.4	1036.4	857.5
T3	4000.3	8227.0	0.0	0.0	2960.2	0.0	1234.1	0.0	507.8	3686.4	1299
T4	3140.3	6293.0	0.0	0.0	2323.8	0.0	944.0	0.0	220.4	3047.4	1043.6
T5	3827.3	6756.0	0.0	0.0	2832.2	0.0	1013.4	0.0	364.1	3481.5	1207.7
T6	2647.0	5836.3	9853.2	3107.4	1958.8	2858.8	875.4	394.1	489.1	5598.1	4227.2
T7	2023.7	4109.7	7769.2	1819.5	1497.5	1673.9	616.5	310.8	448.3	3650.4	1166.9
T8	1754.0	4012.7.0	8671.3	2314.1	1298.0	2129.0	601.9	346.9	304.6	4071.1	1451.0
Legedadi site
T1	1420	3684.0	0.0	0.0	1050.8	0.0	552.6	0.0	138.9	1464.5	1009.4
T2	0.0	0.0	4326.5	1300.8	0.0	1196.7	0.0	173.1	109.4	1260.4	915.7
T3	4151.7	8548.3	0.0	0.0	3072.3	0.0	1282.2	0.0	507.8	3846.7	1334.2
T4	3285.3	6224.7	0.0	0.0	2431.1	0.0	933.7	0.0	220.4	3144.4	1254.4
T5	3927.3	6389.3	0.0	0.0	2906.2	0.0	958.4	0.0	364.1	3500.5	1318.3
T6	2510	5148	10769.2	3390.8	1857.4	3119.5	772.2	430.8	489.1	5690.8	4890.4
T7	2128.3	4042.7	8971.3	2014.7	1574.9	1853.5	606.4	358.9	448.3	3945.4	1761.8
T8	1821.7	3932.3	8971.3	2014.7	1348.1	1853.5	589.8	358.9	304.6	3845.6	1761.8

Adj.: adjusted; WY: wheat yield, FY: faba bean yield; SWY: straw wheat yield; SFY: straw faba bean yield; GB: gross field benefit; TC: total cost; NB: net benefit; MRR: marginal rate of return.

NMSAE. (2023). Estimated temperature and rain fall data of dire gedeb. NMSAE (National Meteorological Service Agency of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 218, 190–208.

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Data availability statement

Data will be made available on request.