Impact on Maize (Zea mays) Crop Productivity and Yield Parameters with Intercropping of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and Moong Bean (Vigna radiata L.)

Abstract

The current study evaluated the impact of intercropping Cowpea and Moong bean on Maize yield and its constituent parts. Nine different treatments were used in the experiment viz., (T1) sole Maize, (T2) sole Cowpea, (T3) sole Moong bean, (T4) Maize + Cowpea (1:1), (T5) Maize + Cowpea (1:2), (T6) Maize +  Cowpea (1:3), (T7) Maize + Moong bean (1:1), (T8) Maize + Moong bean (1:2) and, (T9) Maize + Moong bean (2:1) in a randomized  block design with three replications in Kharif season. The findings showed that intercropped plants had greater potential and produced higher values for the majority of the studied criteria, including plant height, chlorophyll meter reading (SPAD) number of cobs plant-1, number of rows cob-1, number of grains row-1, 100-grain weight, and straw and grain yields Intercrop’s seed yields were less in intercropped treatments than sole Maize. (T5) Maize + Cowpea (1:2) was best treatment having highest yield (5915.83 kg ha-1), maximum LER (1.8) and MEY (kg ha-1) (11663.36). This clearly demonstrated the advantages of intercropping Maize with legumes. This is because the leguminous crops can provide additional nutrients to the Maize crop through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Additionally legumes can improve the declined   soil productivity by enhancing the overall soil conditions like chemical, biological, and physical. The increased availability of nitrogen and enhancement in soil physical, chemical and biological properties can improve Maize growth, leading to higher yield. Additionally it boosts soil conservation by providing more ground cover than mono-cropping.