EFFECT OF SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS OF FABA BEAN VARIETIES INTERCROPPED WITH BREAD WHEAT ON PRODUCTIVITY OF COMPONENT CROPS AT KULUMSA, SOUTHEASTERN ETHIOPIA

A field experiment was conducted in 2019 main cropping season at Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center research station, Southeastern Ethiopia with the objectives of assessing the compatibility of faba bean and wheat intercropping, to select suitable varieties of faba bean under different spatial pattern in intercropping and to assess the economic profitability of intercropping faba bean with bread wheat(variety Hulluka) in the area. The treatments were three faba bean varieties (Ashebeka, Hachalu and Tumsa) intercropped with bread wheat in three different planting ratios (1W:1FB, one row of wheat and one row of faba bean; 1W:2FB, one row of wheat and two rows of faba bean; 2W:1FB, two rows of wheat and one row of faba bean) and sole planting of the three faba bean varieties and wheat. The treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The physico-chemical properties of the soil before planting was sandy clay loam with bulk density of 1.36 gm/cm3, pH value of 5.5, 3.9% organic matter, 0.13% total nitrogen and 10.9mg/kg soil available phosphorus. Though non-significant, there was a slight modification on some of the physico chemical properties of the soil after harvesting for main and interaction effects of varieties and planting ratios. Highest days to 50% flowering (50.2 days) and days to 90% maturity (147.6 days) was recorded from variety Tumsa. The highest number of pods per plant (17.7) was obtained from Variety Hachalu. Variety Ashebeka gave highest thousand kernel weight (858.7g). Planting ratio of 1W:2FB, sole cropped faba bean and planting ratio of 1W:1FB with variety Hachalu gave highest grain yield (3426 3kg ha-1 ), above ground biomass (11257.3 3kg ha-1 ) and harvest index of faba bean (36%) respectively. The highest (38.7g) and lowest (35.5g) thousand kernel weight of wheat was recorded in 1W:2FB and 2W:1FB planting ratios respectively. Planting ratio of 2W:1FB gave the highest wheat yield (1896.6kg ha-1 ), whereas the lowest yield (711.3kg ha-1 ) was recorded in 1W:2FB planting ratio. The highest (8057.13kg ha-1 ) and lowest (3154.9kgha-1 ) above ground biomass yield of wheat was recorded at 2W:1FB and 1W:2FB plating ratios respectively. Planting ratio with a highest sharing of wheat (2W:1FB) gave a highly significant grain yield regardless of the type of faba bean variety. Highest harvest index (32.7%) of wheat was also obtained from 1W:1FB. Higher gross monetary value of 100,591ETB/ha was obtained with planting ratio of 1W:2FB with variety Tumsa. Variety Hachalu when planted at 1W:2FB yielded 98,417 ETB/ha. GMV of 96,854 ETB/ha was gained when Ahebeka was planted at 1W:2FB planting ratio. Sole wheat gave the lowest gross monetary value of 59,752 ETB/ha. This could be due to high price and better competition ability of faba bean with good rain fall distribution in the growing season. From this study, 1W:2FB planting ratio could be used by farmers to get highest benefit