Sorghum-rice intercropping, a security system for the poorly drained soils of southern Sudan.

Abstract

In parts of southern Sudan, sorghum production varies greatly from year to year due to the occurrence of floods in some years. These floods are caused by a combination of high rainfall within a short period, poorly drained soils, and varying micro-relief. To improve the reliability of food production, a sorghum/rice intercropping system was tested in 1980 and 1981 on an area prone to such flooding. In these experiments sorghum proved to produce good yields at the expense of rice on areas which had been little flooded, whereas on waterlogged areas sorghum produced little while rice gave good yields. It may therefore be concluded that intercropping of rice with sorghum offers a good possibility to offset the loss of sorghum in wet years. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)