STRAWBERRY INTERCROPPING WITH SOME VEGETABLES FOR ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY

This study was carried out in a Private Farm at Mashtool El-Souk, Sharkia Governorate during 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 seasons to investigate the effect of intercropping of garlic, pepper or snap bean with strawberry on vegetative growth, quality and yield of the studied crops in the mixed intercropping, comparing with the solitary plantings of these crops. The results indicated that all sole crops had more vigorous vegetative growth and yield components than intercropping systems. Different intercropping systems compared with sole crop systems did not affect some fruit chemical characteristics of these crops. Results indicated also that strawberry appeared to be the dominant crop in strawberry/snap beans and strawberry/garlic cropping systems. This indicates that strawberry grown in association with these two crops utilized the resources more aggressively than the respective intercrops which appeared to be dominated. Among the intercrops, pepper proved to be more competitive while garlic and snap beans exhibited almost similar competitive behavior.