124
indicated that tomato cultivated area was 70.4 thousand hectares and the assigned
area to be use in the intercropping system with wheat was 35.2 thousand hectares.
These areas produced 203.1 thousand tons of wheat seeds.
6.3.3.2 Cotton Relay Intercropped with Wheat
In Egypt, cotton, as an early summer crop, is cultivated in March to produce high
yield. Egyptian clover is usually preceding cotton, cultivated as early as October
and harvested in February before the cultivation of cotton. One way to increase the
cultivated area of wheat is for wheat to replace Egyptian clover in the Egyptian
clover-cotton system with wheat. Because wheat is cultivated in November and
stays until April to be harvested, cotton can be relayed intercropped on it in March
(Zohry 2005).
In this system, wheat is cultivated in November on the top of raised beds and in
following March, cotton is cultivated on both edges of the raised beds. Thus, cotton
shares 2 month of its life cycle with wheat before wheat harvest occur in April. The
benefit of this system is to increase wheat cultivated area by the area assigned to be
cultivated by cotton. Furthermore, planting density for wheat under this system is
80% of its recommended density and it attain 90% of its yield under sole planting
(Lamlom et al. 2018).
In relay intercropping cotton on wheat system (Fig. 6.2), three main phases can
be recognized: (1) wheat vegetative stage grown from November till April; (2) intercropping of wheat (reproductive stage) and cotton (seedling stage) from March till
April, and (3) sole cotton (vegetative and reproductive stage) from April till
September (Zohry 2005). The two component crops in the system interact directly
Fig. 6.2 Cotton relay intercropping with wheat
A. E.-H. Zohry and S. Ouda
indicated that tomato cultivated area was 70.4 thousand hectares and the assigned
area to be use in the intercropping system with wheat was 35.2 thousand hectares.
These areas produced 203.1 thousand tons of wheat seeds.
6.3.3.2 Cotton Relay Intercropped with Wheat
In Egypt, cotton, as an early summer crop, is cultivated in March to produce high
yield. Egyptian clover is usually preceding cotton, cultivated as early as October
and harvested in February before the cultivation of cotton. One way to increase the
cultivated area of wheat is for wheat to replace Egyptian clover in the Egyptian
clover-cotton system with wheat. Because wheat is cultivated in November and
stays until April to be harvested, cotton can be relayed intercropped on it in March
(Zohry 2005).
In this system, wheat is cultivated in November on the top of raised beds and in
following March, cotton is cultivated on both edges of the raised beds. Thus, cotton
shares 2 month of its life cycle with wheat before wheat harvest occur in April. The
benefit of this system is to increase wheat cultivated area by the area assigned to be
cultivated by cotton. Furthermore, planting density for wheat under this system is
80% of its recommended density and it attain 90% of its yield under sole planting
(Lamlom et al. 2018).
In relay intercropping cotton on wheat system (Fig. 6.2), three main phases can
be recognized: (1) wheat vegetative stage grown from November till April; (2) intercropping of wheat (reproductive stage) and cotton (seedling stage) from March till
April, and (3) sole cotton (vegetative and reproductive stage) from April till
September (Zohry 2005). The two component crops in the system interact directly
Fig. 6.2 Cotton relay intercropping with wheat
A. E.-H. Zohry and S. Ouda