Dear Sir/Madam!

1. First of all, thank you very much for your nice question and inquiry. Herein I have suggested the most recommended intercropping/multiple/mixed cropping systems in Ethiopia as well as in some parts of the World being practiced as follows:

 Cereal/cereal e.g. Sorghum/F. millet, Barley/wheat, Sorghum/maize, etc.  Cereal/legume e.g. Sorghum/pigeon pea, Sorghum/cowpea, Maize/bean  Cereal/cereal/legume e.g. Sorghum/maize/bean  Legume/legume e.g. Faba bean/field pea  Cereal/root crop e.g. Sorghum/sweet potato  Cereal/vegetables e.g. Maize/cabbage  Legume/tree crop e.g. Bean/coffee  Cereal/tree crop e.g. Sorghum/Chat  Cereal/oil crop e.g. Teff/sunflower  Multi-crop mixture e.g. Ensete/coffee/maize/bean

Regarding to plot size please use each crop recommended spacing and the plot size maybe you can use 4-meter width with the 5-meter length (4m*5). Most probably you can use component/major crop standard design in accordance with intercropping one. The methodology is also depend on your treatment numbers and the nature of your experimental site.

2. The length of the cropping systems depends on the nature of the crop that you have selected, so in terms of the durability or the maturity period of your crop and your given environment have to be used, therefore you can refer your selected crops nature, then you can determine.

3. My last suggestion please avoid too many cropping systems because you will be troubled to practice properly, your experimental precision will be declined, experimental and management cost also high, high growth-limiting factor competition (moisture, light, nutrient, etc...), due to the above reasons selecting too many crops are not recommended and practical, so please prioritize your crops based on your objectives.

Thank you!

Addisu Getahun

I am a little bit confused.

Do you want to conduct an experiment considering crop rotation or multiple cropping? Multiple cropping and crop rotation will be considered in different ways.

Is it under irrigation/rain fed or in what condition?

Thank you very much Addisu Getahun , Tessema Tesfaye Atumo , and my classmate Abu Bakar Siddique for your replay!

1. Abu I want to conduct crop rotation....

2. Tessema , its on the main season (Rainfed) condition ...

3. do you think we use common agricultural designs to undertake the experiment?

4. how could i overcome and estimate turnover effect .