The Effect of Component Frequency and Plant Density on Yields of Cultivar Mixtures in Spring Faba Beans

Abstract

The effect of plant density and component frequency was examined in mixtures of two spring faba bean {Vicia faba L.) cultivars Danas and Mniden grown in a replacement series experiment in the field. There were two densities, 44 and 25 plants m~".At low density mixtures yielded significantly more (+ 22.5 %) than the mean of the components grown in monoculture. The advantage was considerably reduced (-1-7.% %) at high density. A frequency dependent advantage was obser\'ed when the proportion of the components in mixtures was varied. At high density and when averaged over the two densities, the greatest yield advantages were obtained when Danas, the high yielding component represented 75 % of the mixture, whilst at low density the greatest advantage was achieved at 50 : 50 mixture. Such gains were either due to component co-operation or complementation type interactions.Mixtures produced greater total dry weights and more podded nodes per plant than the mean of the components. The remaining characters had values which were more or less similar for monocultures and mixtures.

Yield Comparison of Within Row Mixtures, Between Row Mixtures, and Composites of Spring Faba Bean Cultivars

“…The results of this experiment show a trend towards mcreased productivity from growing spring faba beans as cultivar mixtures as we have suggested previously (TARHUNI and MCNEILLY 1989). If such yield advantages of mixtures were found in experiments on a field scale, mechanical mixtures might have a valuable place in agriculture, particularly sown as alternate row plantings which are more manageable culturally than within row mixtures.…”