Abstract            Volume:12  Issue-9  Year-2024         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Intercropping is necessity for small-scale farmers in Ethiopia due to decreasing farmland and increasing food security needs. A study was conducted in the Bensa District over the 2020-2021 seasons to assess enset leaf pruning on the growth and productivity of legumes (bush bean, climbing bean, and soybean). The experiment tested two pruning levels (retaining eight leaves and retaining all leaves) across three legume types and included sole legume treatments. This resulted in 12 treatment combinations arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. The study revealed that climbing beans had the highest grain yield, particularly during the short season, and responded well to enset leaf pruning. Pruning significantly enhanced legume grain yield in the first growing season but showed reduced effects in the later season. There were minimal significant interactions between pruning and legume types, except for the flowering duration in bush beans. A general decline in legume yields, especially in bush beans and soybeans, was observed in the second season. The findings suggest that more extensive pruning could benefit bush beans and soybeans in the later stages of enset growth. Climbing beans, with wider spacing, are recommended for better yield under enset intercropping. However, mature enset plants spaced at 1.5 x 1.5 meters negatively impacted all legume crops.

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