2.8. Mixed crop productivity assessment
Using the grain yields from the 2015/2016 experiment, mixed cropping productivity was evaluated by the land equivalent ratio (LER), which compares yields/ha of monocrop- vs. mixed-species fields. The LERs for mixtures of pearl millet or sorghum (dryland cereal [d] and rice [r]) were determined following the method described by Mead and Willey (1980):
LER = LERd + LERr = (Ydm/Yds) + (Yrm/Yrs)
where, LERd and LERr represent partial LER of ‘d’ and ‘r’ crops, respectively, Ydm and Yrm represent the yields of ‘d’ and ‘r’ as mixed crops, respectively and Yds and Yrs are the respective yields of ‘d’ and ‘r’ as single crops. An LER value of>1 indicates a yield advantage, LER value = 1 indicates no advantage and LER value of