Possibility of weeds control and yield increase due to intercropping Case study: marigold (Calendula officinalis) and mungbean (Vigna radiata)

This study was conducted in Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Iran, during 2013 in split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design in three replications to study the effect of marigold and mungbean intercropping on yield and weeds biomass. Treatments consisted of two cultivars of marigold (Kampar, Porpar) sowed with mungbean in 0, 12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50% ratios of optimum density. Weeds in Porpar cultivar plots had higher growth potential than Kampar cultivar. When mungbean was sown with 37.5% of optimum density, dry weight of marigold increased significantly. The highest dry weight of marigold obtained from two treatments with marigold sole cropping and intercropping with mungbean at 37.5% of optimum density which was 103.5 and 95.8 gm-2, respectively. The highest amount of mungbean seed yields obtained from planting systems of 25% mungbean+100% marigold, 37.5% mungbean+100% marigold and 50% mungbean+100% marigold which were 37.2, 39.9 and 41.6 g m-2, respectively. The land equivalent ratio in all treatments except for 12.5% mungbean+100% marigold was higher than the unit. Because of the improvement of land equivalent ratio index in marigold Kampar intercropped with different densities of mungbean plots and also in marigold Porpar intercropped with densities higher than 25% of mungbean plots, and lack of significant difference in the amount of this index between mentioned densities, it is recommended to intercrop 12.5% mungbean+100% marigold in Kampar cultivar and 25% mungbean+100% marigold in Porpar cultivar