Intercropping of a short-cycle legume crop and a longer-cycle non-legume crop has been suggested as a potentially beneficial intercrop combination. Most studies have concerned cereal and legume corps. Few have involved horticultural crops. In 1990 and 1991, a 56-day semi-leafless pea crop (Curly) and a 75-day lettuce crop (Paris Island Cos) were grown both as monocrops and as intercrops. Intercrops consisting of alternating rows of each crop, represented additive populations (56:100) of peas and lettuce. Three lettuce transplanting dates (June 19, 25 and July 4) and three nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 50, 100 kg ha$ sp{-1}$) were tested. Peas were all sown on May 18. In addition, a new pea/lettuce intercropping pattern (45:82), consisting of alternating double rows of peas and lettuce, was tested in 1991. The $ sp{15}$N dilution method was also used to test for nitrogen transfer. Alternate row intercropped lettuce plant$ sp{-1}$ yields were, on average, 76% and 46% lower than their corresponding monocrop yields for the early and late transplanted lettuce, respectively. Declines in yield of 63% and 55% were reported for the double row intercropped lettuce for the early and late transplanting dates, respectively. Nitrogen fertilization significantly improved intercropped fresh lettuce yields but had no effect on monocropped lettuce. Pea yields m$ sp{-1}$ row were unaffected by intercropping. Alternate row land equivalent ratios (LER) ranged from 0.87 to 1.05 and from 1.06 to 1.63, in 1990 and 1991, respectively. The double row LER's ranged from 1.06 to 1.21 in 1991. The higher LER's in 1991 reflected higher pea yields. No evidence of nitrogen transfer to the lettuce crop was detected.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.69577 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Bailleul, Stéphane M. (Stéphane Marc) |
| Contributors | Stewart, Katrine (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Plant Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001338401, proquestno: AAIMM87919, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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