Effect of Spatial Arrangement on the Performance of Cowpea /Maize Intercrop in Derived Savannah of Nigeria

Abstract

Promising varieties of cowpea were found to be adaptable in the derived savannah; however, their performances in intercropping systems have not been investigated. Therefore, there is the need to investigate the effect of spatial arrangement of maize/cowpea on the performance of maize and cowpea. The experiment was a 2 x 5 factorial in randomized complete block design. A field experiment was conducted at Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Nigeria during the late cropping seasons of 2009 and 2010. The intercrop proportion mixture and population adopted in this study were additive and replacement series while Oloyin and Sokoto cowpea varieties were combined with TZESR-W maize variety as follows: Oloyin + maize in alternate row, Oloyin + maize in alternate row, Oloyin + maize in alternate stand, Oloyin + maize in strip cropping, Sokoto + maize in alternate row, Sokoto + maize in alternate row, Sokoto + maize in alternate stand, Sokoto + maize in strip cropping, sole maize, Sole cowpea. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was used to determine the productivity of the intercrop. The grain yield of cowpea obtained from alternate row intercrop and sole cowpea for 2009 and 2010 were similar. However, the grain yield of cowpea obtained from alternate row was 33, 37 and 59% higher than alternated stand, alternate row replacement and strip crop, respectively. Oloyin variety had significantly higher grain yield than Sokoto. Interaction of cowpea variety x spatial arrangement x cropping season was significant on 1000-seed weight. The two additive series had higher land equivalent ratio compared to replacement series. Maize yield was not affected in two additive series. In conclusion, intercrop was more productive than sole. The two additives arrangement enhances the performance grain yield of maize, Oloyin and Sokoto cowpea varieties