EFFECT OF MUNGBEAN (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) INTERCROPPING ON EARLY GROWTH OF SUGARCANE (Saccharum officinarum L.) UNDER IRRIGATION AT METAHARA SUGAR ESTATE, ETHIOPIA

Appropriate planting pattern and suitable variety of mungbean are important agronomic practices to increase the productivity of mungbean and sugarcane. Hence, a field experiment was conducted from June to August 2018 at Metahara Sugar Estate under irrigation to evaluate the performance of mungbean varieties intercropped in different planting patterns with sugarcane varieties; and to assess the effect of intercropped mungbean varieties on early growth and development of the associated sugarcane varieties.The treatments consisted of factorial arrangement of two sugarcane varieties (NCO334, B41227) and three mungbean varieties (NVl, N26, Shewarobit) planted in one row and two rows of planting pattern and were laid out in randomized complete block design in three replications. The result of the experiment revealed that sugarcane varieties showed highly significant effect on number of leaves per plant, tiller number and aboveground. Sole sugarcane variety NCO334 had the highest number of leaves per plant (9.5) and higher number of tillers per plant (6.7). Intercropping of NCO334 with N26 mungbean varieties on one side planting had the highest aboveground dry biomass (5038 kg ha-1) of sugarcane.In all sugarcane parameters, sugarcane variety NCO334 had superior potential for intercropping to variety B41227. Two sides planting pattern of mungbean significantly decreased the number of leaves, number of tillers and aboveground dry biomass of sugarcane as compared to one side planting. Interaction effect of mungbean and sugarcane varieties had significant effects on number of pods per plant, hundred seed weight and grain yield of mungbean. Variety NVl had the highest grain yield (1053 kg ha-1) and Shewarobit intercropped with B41227 had the highest pod number per plant (28.87) and NVl and N26 intercropped with B41227 had high hundred seed weight (5.02g).Mungbean variety NVl showed early flower initiation, early maturity and high yield in two row planting pattern. Thus, intercropping of mungbean variety NVl in two row planting pattern with sugarcane variety NCO334 can be tentatively recommended