Abstract
The objective of this chapter is to quantify the effect of using polycropping on increasing food security in the five agro-climatic zones of Egypt. Our results indicated that food gaps in Egypt can be decreased by increasing polycropping, where intercropping techniques and cultivation of three crops per year were implemented. Using intercropping systems for wheat, faba bean, maize, sunflower, and cowpea can increase its cultivated area to high percentage, 20 and 22%, respectively. Whereas, faba bean, sunflower, and cowpea cultivated area can be increased to very high percentage, reaching 611, 5500 and 128,186%, respectively. These high percentages of increase were a result of implementing intercropping and cultivation of three crops per year. Our results also showed that there was no need to apply extra irrigation water to cultivate the middle crop between winter and summer, namely short season clover or sunflower because it can be obtained from cultivation of all the suggested cropping systems on raised beds. Thus, the proposed cropping pattern can increase the national cultivated area by 35%, compared to current cultivated area in 2014/15. Moreover, the increase in the cultivated area will not consume extra irrigation water.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abd El-Zaher ShR, Shams AS, Mergheny MM (2013) Effect of intercropping pattern and nitrogen fertilization on intercropping wheat with tomato. Egypt J Appl Sci 28(9):474–489
Abd El-Zaher ShR, Gendy EK (2014) Effect of plant density and mineral and bio-nitrogen fertilization on intercropping faba bean with sugar beet. Egypt J Appl Sci 29(7):352–366
Abdel CG (2006) Improvement of tomato fruit-set under natural high temperature: 1-intercropping tomato with sunflower or corn. J Dohuk Univ 9(2):2–16
Abdelmageed AH, Gruda N, Geyer B (2003) Effect of high temperature and heat shock on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Genotypes under controlled conditions. Conference on International Agricultural Research for Development Göttingen, 8–10 Oct 2003
Abou-Elela AM (2012) Effect of intercropping system and sowing dates of wheat intercropping with sugar beet. J Plant Product 3(12):3101–3116
Abouelenein R, Oweis T, Sherif M, Khalil FA, Abed El-Hafez SA, Karajeh F (2010) A new water saving and yield increase method for growing berseem on raised seed bed in Egypt. Egypt J Appl Sci 25(2A):26–41
Abou-Keriasha MA., Zohry AA, Farghly BS (1997) Effect of intercropping some field crops with sugar cane on yield and its components of plant cane and third ratoon. J Agric Sci Mansoura Univ 22 12:4163–4176
Ahmed AM, Ahmed Nagwa R, Khalil Soha RA (2013) Effect of intercropping wheat on productivity and quality of some promising sugarcane cultivars. Minia J Agric Res Develop 33(4):557–583
Chowdhury MK, Rosario EL (1994) Comparison of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium utilization efficiency in maize/mung bean intercropping. J Agric Sci 122(2):193–199
El-Gergawi ASS, Saif LM, Abou-Salama AM (2000) Evaluation of sunflower intercropping in spring planted sugarcane fields in Egypt. Assuit J Agric Sci 312:163–174
Eskandari H, Ghanbari A, Javanmard A (2009) Intercropping of cereals and legumes for forage production. Notulae Scientia Biologicae 1(1):7–13
Farghly BS (1997) Yield of sugar cane as affected by intercropping with faba bean. J Agric Sci Mansoura Univ 22(12):4177–4186
Fernandez-Munoz R, Gonzalez-Fernandez JJ, Cuartero J (1995) Variability of pollen tolerance to low temperatures in tomato and related with species. J Hortic Sci 70:41–49
Gallaher RN (2009) Management of agricultural forestry and fisheries enterprises. Vol. I: Multiple Cropping Systems Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
Gebru H (2015) A review on the comparative advantages of intercropping to mono-cropping system. J Biol Agric Healthc 5(9):215–219
Geno L, Geno B (2001) Polyculture production: principle, benefits and risk of multiple cropping. A report for the Rural Industry Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), Publication, No. 01134
Gomez AA, Gomez KA (1983) Multiple cropping in the humid tropics of Asia. Ottawa 32p
Hao W (2013) Control effect of tomato and maize intercropping against tomato powdery mildew. Plant Dis Pests 4(2):22–24
Ibrahim S, Shaaban M, Gendy EK (2010) Intercropping faba bean with tomato. Egypt J Appl Sci 25(6A):167–181
Ijoyah MO, Fanen FT (2012) Effects of different cropping pattern on performance of maize-soybean mixture in Makurdi, Nigeria. Sci J Crop Sci 1(2):39–47
Kestha MM, El-Baz MG (2004) Studies on sunflower-tomato intercropping. In: Proceedings of 16th International Sunflower Conference, Fargo, ND USA, pp 514–518
Mazaheri D, Madani A, Oveysi M (2006) Assessing the land equivalent ratio (LER) of two corn (Zea mays L.) varieties intercropping at various nitrogen levels in Karaj, Iran. J Cent Eur Agric 7(2):359–364
Mohamed W, Ahmed NR, Abd El-Hakim WM (2013) Effect of intercropping dates of sowing and N fertilizers on growth and yield of maize and tomato. Egypt J Appl Sci 28(12B):625–644
Nazir MS, Jabbar A, Ahmad I, Nawaz S, Bhatti IH (2002) Production potential and economics of intercropping in autumn-planted sugarcane. Int J Agric Biol 41:140–141
Ouda S, Noreldin T (2017) Evapotranspiration data to determine agro-climatic zones in Egypt. J Water Land Dev 32(I–III):79–86
Pino M, De-Los A, Bertoh M, Espinosa R (1994) Maize as a protective crop for tomato in conditions of environmental stress. Cult Trop 15:60–63
Pressman E, Bar-Tal A, Shaked R, Rosenfeld K (1997) The development of tomato root system in relation to the carbohydrate status of the whole plant. Ann Bot 80:533–538
Sheha AM, Ahmed Nagwa R, Abou-Elela AM (2014) Effect of crop sequence and nitrogen levels on rice productivity. Ann Agric Sci 52(4):451–460
Szumigalski AR, Van-Acker RC (2008) Intercropping: land equivalent ratios, light interception, and water use in annual intercrops in the presence or absence of in-crop herbicides. Am Agron J 100:1145–1154
Tolera A (2003) Effects nitrogen, phosphorus farmyard manure and population of climbing bean on the performance of maize (Zea mays L.)/climbing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) intercropping system in Alfisols of Bako. An M.Sc. Thesis Presented to the School of Graduate Studies of Alemaya University
Wu KX, Wu BZ (2014) Potential environmental benefits of intercropping annual with leguminous perennial crops in Chinese agriculture. Agr Ecosyst Environ 188:147–149
Zohry AA (2005) Effect of relaying cotton on some crops under bio-mineral N fertilization rates on yield and yield components. Ann Agric Sci 431:89–103
Zohry AA, Ouda S (2016a) Crops intensification to face climate induced water scarcity in Nile Delta region. In: Management of climate induced drought and water scarcity in Egypt: unconventional solutions. Springer Publishing House, Berlin
Zohry AA, Ouda S (2016b) Upper Egypt: management of high water consumption crops by intensification. In: Management of climate induced drought and water scarcity in Egypt: unconventional solutions. Springer Publishing House, Berlin
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ouda, S.A.H., Zohry, A.EH. (2018). Cropping Pattern to Increase Food Security. In: Cropping Pattern Modification to Overcome Abiotic Stresses . SpringerBriefs in Water Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69880-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69880-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69879-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69880-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)