Comparing Effects of Legume Intercropping and Green Leaf Manuring on Performance of Maize and Residual Soil Properties

Abstract

In Nepal, there is a significant disparity between demand and supply for maize. Given that most smallholder farmers lack resources and hence cannot afford to purchase the necessary quantity of fertilizer. Hence, the use of different legumes intercropping and green leaf manure incorporation could be alternatives for increasing maize yield and enhancing soil properties. A field experiment was conducted at Lamjung Campus, Sundarbazzar, from March to July 2023 to study the response of maize to different legumes intercropping and green leaf manure incorporation and its effect on soil residual nutrients. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with five treatments (maize as a control, cowpea + maize, French bean + maize, soybean + maize, and green leaf manure + maize) and four replications. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied 60 kg ha-1 (half of the recommended dose), phosphorous and potassium were applied 15 kg ha-1 and 10 kg ha-1 (one-fourth of the recommended dose) respectively as its availability was already high in the soil. All the maize yield-related attributes were higher (P <0.05) in intercropping as compared to control. Significantly higher maize yield was obtained in green leaf manuring (2.21 times more than control), followed by soybean, cowpea, and French bean with 0.65, 0.25, and 0.09 times higher than control. In addition, nitrogen (2.25%) and organic matter (4.8%) were found higher in green leaf manure than others. It can be concluded that the input of green leaf manure to the soil enhances the yield of maize and soil properties.