EFFECT OF RELATIVE SOWING TIME ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF VEGETABLE COWPEA (VIGNA UNGUICULATA (L.) WALP) AND MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) IN VEGETABLE COWPEA/MAIZE INTERCROPPING SYSTEM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51406/jagse.v12i1.1253Keywords:
Keywords, Vegetable cowpea, maize, varieties, relative sowing timeAbstract
Improved varieties of both vegetable cowpea (IT92KD-263-4-1) and maize (OBA 98) were grown in mixture at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike research farm for two cropping seasons (2006 and 2007) in order to determine the suitable relative sowing time of the component crops. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design and with three replicates. The treatments were vegetable cowpea and maize separately planted in their pure stands, vegetable cowpea and maize simultaneously sown on the same day, vegetable cowpea sown 2, 3, 4 weeks before maize and vegetable cowpea introduced 2, 3 and 4 weeks after maize was sown. Widest leaf area, heaviest total aboveground dry matter and nodules per plant of vegetable cowpea were attributed to the vegetable cowpea sown 4 weeks before maize. Similarly, maize leaf area index, aboveground dry matter, number of grains per cob, 100-seed weight and grain yield per hectare were highest when maize was sown 4 weeks before introducing vegetable cowpea. The highest LER of 1.61 and 1.58 in 2006 and 2007, respectively were attributed to the vegetable cowpea sown 4 weeks after maize. It was therefore, recommended that the resource poor rural farmers should introduce the vegetable cowpea 4 weeks after sowing the maize seeds since they usually target the combined yield from the component crops of the farmland
Â
References
Akobundu, I. O. 1993. Integrated weed management techniques to reduce soil degradation. IITA Research Note, 6: 11-16.
Ano, A. O. 2006. Effect of vegetable cowpea population on component crop yields and productivity of yam, minisett based system. Nigeria Journal of Agriculture, 37: 81-84.
Ano, A. O., Ubochi, C. I. 2008. Nutrient composition of climbing and prostrate vegetable cowpea accessions. African Journal of Biotechnology, 7 (20): 3795-3798.
Bressani, I. R. 1985. Nutritive value of cowpea. In Cowpea Research: Production and Utilization. John Wiley and Sons; London, UK.
DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries). 2011. Production guidelines for cowpeas. Directorate Plant Production, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa, p.8.
Davis, D. V., Oelke, E. A., Oplinger, E. J., Doll, J. D., Hanson, C.V., Putnam, D. H. 1991. Alternative Field Crops Manual: Cowpea. University of Minnesota, pp. 1-10
Dugje, I. Y., Omoigui, L. O, Ekeleme, F., Kamara, A. Y., Ajeigbe, H. 2009. Farmers’ guide to cowpea production in West Africa. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. 24p.
Ene-Obong, H. N. 1995. Content of antinutrients and in vitro protein digestibility of the African yambean, pigeon and cowpea. Plant Foods Human Nutrition 48 (3): 225-33.
Fininsa, C. 1997. Effects of planting pattern, relative planting date and intra-row spacing on a haricot bean/maize intercrop. African Crop Science Journal, 5 (1): 15-22.
Hunt, R. 1978. Plant growth analysis. Edward Arnold Limited, London. pp. 10-11.
Ibikunle, O. A., Omidiji, M. O., Menkir, A. 2009. Evaluation and identification of maize hybrids adapted to the southern and northern guinea savannas of Nigeria. African Crop Science Conference Proceedings, 9: 9-15.
IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture). 2006. Maize overview. In: Research to Nourish Africa. Available at www.iitaresearch.org.
McWilliams, D. A., Berglund, D. R., Endres, G. J. 1999. Corn Growth and Management Quick Guide. North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota. Available at http//:www.ag.ndsu.edu.
Muoneke, C. O., Asiegbu, J. E. 1997. Effects of okra planting density and spatial arrangement in intercrop with maize on the growth and yield of the component species. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 179: 201-207.
Muoneke, C. O., Ndukwe, O. O., Umana, P. E., Okpara, D. A., Asawalam, D. O. (2012). Productivity of vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and maize (Zea mays L.) intercropping system as influenced by component density in a humid tropical zone of South-eastern Nigeria. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 15 (1):835-847.
Obuo, J. E., Adipala, E., Osiru, D. S. O. 1998. Effect of plant spacing on yield advantages of cowpea-sorghum intercrop. Tropical Science, 38: 1- 7.
Ofori, F., Stern, R. 1987. Relative sowing time and density of component crops in a maize/cowpea intercrop system. Experimental Agriculture, 23: 41-52.
Okpara, D. A. 2000. Effect of time of introduction of component crop and fertilizer-N application on maize and vegetable cowpea grown mixture under the humid tropical conditions. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Food, Environment and Extension, 2: 65-73.
Omongo, C. A., Ogenga-Latigo, M. W., Kymanywa, S., Adipala, E. 1997. The effect of seasons and cropping systems on the occurrence of cowpea pests in Uganda. African Crop Science Conference Proceedings, 3: 1111-1116.
Omotunde, C. T. 1996. Growth and yield of okra and cowpea intercropped at different planting patterns. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 4 (2): 10-16.
Osei-Yeboah, S. J., Lindsay, J. S., Gumba, F. H. 1983. Estimating leaf area of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) from linear measurement of terminal leaflets. Tropical Agriculture, 60: 149-150.
Reddy, K. C., Visser, P. L. 1997. Cowpea growth and yield as affected by time of planting relative to millet. African Crop Science Journal, 5, 351- 357.
Steele, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H. 1980. Principles and procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill International Book Company Inc. New York, 633p.
Sullivan, P. 2001. Intercropping principles and practices. ATTRA Publication. 12p. Available at http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/intercrop.pdf.
Udealor, A. 2002. Studies on growth, yield, organic matter turnover and soil nutrient changes in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) vegetable cowpea mixtures. PhD Thesis, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
