Effects of Strip Intercropping of Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) with Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) on Yield and Yield Advantage

Abstract There are several advantages to intercropping over mono-cropping production. Therefore, intercropping approaches need to be investigated in greater depth. In order to evaluate the yield advantage, nutrient use efficiency, etc., of strip intercropping, researchers have proposed an intercropping approach that is based on systematic evaluation. Due to these advantages, intercropping is common throughout the world, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted at Mechara Agriculture Research center during 2016 to 2022 to evaluate the effect of strip intercropping ratios of coffee with groundnut on the yield of both crops and to determine economically optimum coffee to groundnut strip intercropping ratio for the study area. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Coffee variety (Arusa) and Babble-1 groundnut variety were used. In the experiment, five treatments were applied: sole coffee, sole groundnut, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 ratios of coffee with groundnut. Regarding strip intercropping treatments, numerically the highest and lowest clean coffee yield was recorded at 1C (1coffee):3G (3goundnut) (9.79 * 100kg ha-1) and 1C (coffee): 2G (2groundnu) (8.53*100 kg ha-1) treatments. In coffee-groundnut strip intercropping, the highest land equivalent ratio was recorded at 1C (1coffee):3G (3goundnut) (1.68) closely followed by 1C (coffee): 2G (2groundnu) (1.43), and 1C (1coffee):1G (1groundnut) (1.39), which provides a relative yield advantage of 39 to 68%. As a result, the highest total LER indicates that strip intercropping with groundnut at 1C (1coffee):3G (3goundnut) ratio yields the highest yield and yield profit to farmers.