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Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is cultivated as monocrop in Eritrea. Efforts were made to grow sorghum-pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millspp.) intercrop on the tillage, fertilizers and supplementary irrigations necessary for sorghum. Experiments were conducted in terraced fields at Hamelmalo during 2013-15 to evaluate growth and yield of sorghum-pigeonpea intercrop in split plot design with conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and zero tillage (ZT) in main plots and rainfed (I 0), 50% of full irrigation (I 1), 75% of full irrigation (I 2) and 100% of full irrigation (I 3) in subplots. All irrigations were stopped 15 days before sorghum maturity. Full irrigation was 60 mm applied at 50% depletion of available soil water in 1 m profile. Sorghum growth was faster than pigeonpea until 85 days from planting and pigeonpea growth accelerated only after sorghum harvesting. About 80% of sorghum roots were within 0.6 m profile but more than 75% of pigeonpea roots were below 0.60 m depth. This showed a weaker competition between the two crops for nutrients, water and light. Both grain and stover yields of sorghum were optimum in RT + I2 during the 2 years. Highest grain yield was 6900 kg•ha −1 in RT + I 3 in 2013, which was at par with that in RT + I 2. Mean residual soil moisture at sorghum harvesting was 74 mm•m −1 , which decreased to 8 mm•m −1 by pigeonpea harvesting. Residual moisture was more in the irrigated than non-irrigated plots. Pigeonpea yields were optimum (1363 kg•ha −1) in RT + I 3 and lowest (297 kg•ha −1) in ZT + I 0. Average water use by sorghum-pigeonpea was 374 mm by sorghum harvesting and 438 mm by pigeonpea harvesting, producing total sorghum equivalent yield of 7475 kg•ha −1. This raised average water use efficiency from 12.6 kg•ha −1 •mm −1 at sorghum harvesting to 17.1 kg•ha −1 •mm −1 at pigeonpea harvesting. Benefit was doubled at 50% of full irrigation and >4 times at 75% of full irrigation.

Eritrean farmers can cultivate rice by harvesting runoff from >82% available non-agricultural land in agricultural watersheds for crop use and reducing percolation through optimization of tillage. Experiments were conducted with NERICA rice, N11, to optimize irrigation requirements and puddling and compaction to reduce percolation. Experimental field was adjacent to Anseba River at downstream end of the watershed and a pond on the upstream to intercept runoff. Irrigation treatments were runoff farming with maximum runoff application depth of 10 mm (I1), and 50 mm irrigation two (I2), five (I3), and seven (I4) days after disappearance of ponded water in main plots and puddling by one (T1), two (T2) and three (T3) passes of puddler and compaction by three (T4), four (T5) and five (T6) passes of 600 kg roller in sub plots in 3 replications. Soil profile was loam in the surface 0.45 m and coarse sandy loam below forming porous belt. Soil submergence was difficult to maintain, but water table was developed in soil profile due to inflow of seepage from the river and pond. Depth to the water table was within 1.5 ± 0.1 m for >2 months and receded down to 1.7 m by crop maturity. Soil wetness was near field capacity around 0.7 m depth and increased below due to natural sub-irrigation from the water table. Rice roots penetrated 0.8 m in the puddled plots and 0.7 m in the compacted plots. Residual soil moisture of 135-146 mm•m −1 after rice harvesting provides opportunity for planting rapeseed mustered following rice. Puddling was superior to compaction in loam soil. Puddling twice and irrigation 50 mm 7 days after ponded water vanished from surface was sufficient for optimum rice grain yield of 4346 kg•ha −1 and straw yield of 4458 kg•ha −1. Optimum puddling and irrigation schedules reduced crop duration by 6 days without significantly affecting yield. Production function showed that rice grain yield of 4789 kg ha −1 could be obtained by 1009 mm applied water through rainfall and irrigation.