Effect of cultivars, intercropping and glyphosate herbicide on broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forsk) and faba bean productivity

Two field trials were conducted in naturally infested fields with broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forsk.) at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El-Shiekh, Egypt, during 2017/18 and 2018/19 winter growing seasons to study the effect of cultivars and some trap crops and herbicide on controlling broomrape, yield and its components. Results revealed that faba bean Giza 843 cultivar caused significantly decreasing on number of spike/m2, fresh and dry weight of (g/m2), number of capsules /spike and spike length (cm) in both seasons. Faba bean Giza 843 cultivar decreased these characteristics by 26.7, 26.3, 21.4, 41.0 and 20.9% and 25.98, 29.14, 20.08, 40.9 and 21.3%, respectively, in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons as compared with faba bean Sakha 3 cultivar. For seed yield, faba bean Giza 843 increased by 4.88 and 2.79%, in both seasons higher than Sakha 3. The highest reduction percentage on number and dry of broomrape spikes obtained by garlic, fenugreek and hand pulling were (74.5, 72.6 and 67%) and (72.2, 69.9 and 61.3%), respectively, in both seasons, as compared with untreated plots. Seed yield increased by all broomrape control treatments, the highest values were obtained from glyphosate twice and once in both seasons by (66.4 and 64.6%) and (60.0 and 60.8%), in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons compared to the untreated plot. All trap crops gave the highest values of seed yield and its components than untreated check treatment in both seasons. This increase in seed yield (ardeb/feddan) (feddan = 4200 m² = 0.420 hectares = 1.037 acres, ardeb = 5.44 imperial or 5.619 U.S. bushels) for each of fenugreek, garlic, flax, parsley and turnip in the two seasons which were 44.9, 43.0, 33.2, 10.5 and 5.4%, respectively, in 2017/2018 season and 53.3, 51.8, 43.5, 24.2 and 20.0% in 2018/2019 season, compared to untreated plot. The interaction between cultivars and trap crops gave the highest reduction in the number and dry weight of broomrape spikes which reflected on yield and its components. The best seed yield was obtained from the interaction between faba bean cultivar Giza 843 with glyphosate once or twice and garlic as a trap crop seemed to be excellent treatments in controlling broomrape in faba bean fields.