Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to identify phenotypic characteristics and indices for
selecting Bambara groundnut for intercropping. Three landraces, namely, Diphiri
Cream (Dip C), OMotswasele6 (OM6) and National Tested SeedRed (NTSR) were
intercropped with sorghum varity ‘Segaolane’ during 1995/96 and 1996/97 seasons
in 3:1, 2:2, 1:3 ratios. The competitive relationship between sorghum and Bambara
groundnut was determined by the Relative Crowding Coefficient (k) and Relative
Yield Total (RYT). The suppression of Bambara groundnut growth and yield was
significantly greater as the population of sorghum in the intercrops increased. The
RYT values were higher for DipC than OM6 and NTSR, indicating that DipC could
be developed as an ideotype Bambara groundnut for intercropping under semi-arid
conditions such as those that pertain in Botswana and areas with similar climate.
