Leaf Water Potentials and Light Transmission of Intercropped Sorghum and Soyabeans

SUMMARY In a field experiment to estimate water needs of intercropped sorghum and soyabeans, leaf water potential (LWP) and canopy light transmission were measured. Sorghum had 8–11% lower LWP when grown in mixture than alone, but soyabeans, shaded by sorghum had a higher LWP than in monoculture. Absolute LWP values suggest that only about 10% additional water would be required by the mixture compared with individual requirements of the aggressor species in a two-species mixture of this nature.