Field studies conducted to determine the effects of intercrop row arrangements and staggered intercropping of haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) on the performances of maize (Zea mays L.) crop at Hallaba and Taba areas in 2013 cropping season, southern Ethiopia, revealed that there were significant effects of cropping patterns and staggered interseeding of the legume component on growth and yield components of maize crop. Significant interaction of row arrangement × intercropping time of haricot bean was observed with respect to leaf area index (LAI) of the maize crop. Increasing trends of LAI of maize crop were observed as interseeding of haricot bean was delayed for 3 weeks after maize (WAM) that stabilized during the 6 WAM interseeding time. Maize stover production was significantly high at 1:2 row ratio and delaying of the undersowing haricot bean in the already established maize crop for 6 weeks, 10.94 tha -1 and 11.39 t ha -1 , respectively. Maize grain yield showed a significant variation with respect to the staggered sowing of haricot bean, whereby the highest (3.99 t ha -1 ) being recorded when haricot bean intercropping was delayed for 21 days after maize planting. The data of this study revealed that the larger maize plant canopy providing larger photosynthetic area, attained when haricot bean interseeding was delayed, probably resulted in higher grain yield of maize.

A field study was conducted at the experimental site of the Assosa Research Center, western Ethiopia, with the objective of generating information about the biomass and nutrient accumulation of four green manuring (GM) legume crops at different growth stages. Accordingly, factorial combinations of four legume crops [cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), soybean (Glycine max), and two common bean verities (Black Dessie and Awash Melka) (Phaseolus vulgaris)] and three growth stages of termination (mid-vegetative, mid-flowering and pod-setting) treatments laid in a randomized complete block design were used. Significant species by growth stage treatment interaction (P<0.01) were observed in dry matter (DM) concentration, and an increase in cowpea and a decrease in Awash Melka variety were observed with a delay in termination times. In addition to the species variability in total DM production, highly significant effect of growth stage at termination was also observed, and a rise in overall DM production was recorded with the development of GM crops. Cowpea recorded the highest per plant number (5.8) and fresh mass of total (0.4 gm) and effective (0.21 gm) nodules compared to the rest, particularly at the mid-flowering stage of growth. According to the results of this study, nutrient (particularly N and K) concentrations of shoot tissue showed a declining trend with increasing plant age. After considering the species and growth stage effects on the nutritional input or contribution of GM, it was discovered that cowpea and midflowering stage of growth outweighed the rest.

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