- Authors:
- Sun, Y.
- Zhao, Y.
- Wu, P.
- Cui, H.
- Chen, Z.
- Source: Soil & Tillage Research
- Volume: 110
- Issue: 2
- Year: 2010
- Summary: Wind erosion near soil surface is one of the major causes of farmland degradation and desertification in arid and semiarid areas. Intercropping wheat and potato can effectively reduce wind erosion, soil desertification and degradation. In this paper, a quantitative research on effective resistance width to wind erosion for the wheat and potato intercropping farmland was performed using several 8-channel wind speed samplers and a movable wind tunnel. As can be seen from the test results, the effective width to control wind erosion for conventional tillage strips on wheat and potato intercropping farmland was lower than or equal to 5 m as the wind speed at 2 m height was 6-7 m.s -1. Moreover, the effective width to control wind erosion of conservation tillage strips on wheat and potato intercropping farmland should be greater than or equal to 5.5 m. Therefore, wheat and potato intercropping with suitable strip width is a cropping mode that not only protects farmland soil from wind erosion to the utmost but also satisfies the requirements of regional planting structure.
- Authors:
- Ekeleme, F.
- Kamara, A.
- Dugje, I.
- Source: Nigerian Journal of Weed Science
- Volume: 23
- Year: 2010
- Summary: Striga gesnerioides is considered a major constraint to improving cowpea productivity in the semi arid region of Africa. A field survey was conducted in a farmer participatory process in 100 cowpea fields to determine farmers' crop production practices that influence infestation by the parasitic weed. Fields with emerged Striga plants were sampled in the Northern Guinea Savanna (NGS), and Sudan Savanna (SS). The results showed that prolonged duration of land use for more than 6 years and, the continuous cropping of cowpea increased Striga infestation and reduced grain yield, while increased phosphorus levels between 30-45 kg P 2O 5 ha -1 reduced Striga infestations in NGS. The improved and Striga resistant cowpea variety (IT97K 499-35) and rotation of cowpea with cereals reduced Striga infestations which increased grain yield of cowpea. Increased phosphorus levels of between 30-45 kg P 2O 5 ha -1 reduced Striga infestation and increased grain yield of cowpea in SS, but late planting of sole cowpea fields promoted infestation. Striga counts were generally greater for all the practices in NGS than SS, while grain yield was greater for all the practices in SS than NGS. Increase in period of land use and relay intercropping contributed less to reducing infestation, while Phosphorus fertilizer application, use of resistant variety and rotation contributed more to decrease in infestation and increase in yield in both ecological zones. Therefore, the major factors that promote Striga infestation are: prolonged land use, growing varieties that are not resistant to Striga, continuous cropping of cowpea, inadequate phosphorus fertilization and late planting of cowpea. Consequently, Striga infestations could be reduced through integrated control by combining resistant cowpea varieties, adequate phosphorus fertilizer application, and rotation of cowpea with cereals.
- Authors:
- Ghelfi,R.
- Armuzzi,M.
- Marchi,A.
- Source: Informatore Agrario
- Volume: 66
- Issue: 47
- Year: 2010
- Summary: This paper describes the yield and profitability of potato as an intercrop for cereals grown in Italy. Information on production costs based on the input requirements of production methods commonly used by growers in Emilia Romagna is included.
- Authors:
- Source: Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry
- Volume: 9
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2010
- Summary: An investigation was conducted at Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute Farm to assess effects of irrigation on yield of potato and sunhamp as 1st and 2nd intercrops with Isd 31 variety of sugarcane by STP polybag settlings. There was remarkable increase in yield of potato, sunhamp and sugarcane by water application. The highest yield of potato, sunhamp and sugarcane obtained were 10.06 t/ha, 16.96 t/ha and 85.50 t/ha in T 3, T 2 and T 3 treatments and of that control treatments yield were 6.94, 12.69 and 71.48 t/ha respectively. Yield of potato, sunhamp and sugarcane reduced due to excess application of water in each T 4 treatment. Therefore, the profitability of intercropping potato and sunhamp with sugarcane significantly did not reduce the yield of the sugarcane compared to the alone cane.
- Authors:
- Gao, M.
- Zhou, T.
- Zhu, S.
- Jin, X.
- Source: Journal of Northwest A & F University - Natural Science Edition
- Volume: 38
- Issue: 4
- Year: 2010
- Summary: A comparative analysis of the structure and function characteristics and ecological and economic benefits of different agroforestry models in a purple soil area in China was conducted. An agroforestry ecosystem composed of a pear forest and different crops planted under the local forest was taken as the research objective. The emergy analysis method was used to compare the emergy input and output of pear-rapeseed-maize system (model 1), pear-rapeseed-groundnut system (model 2), pear-wheat-maize system (model 3) and pear-wheat-sweet potato system (model 4). Results showed that the energy input structure in the four agroforestry models was similar. The investment of non-renewable emergy took a main proportion in the systems. The human labour emergy and the fertilizer emergy played dominant roles. Model 1 had the highest production efficiency, the most advantageous in price-competition, and the most powerful self-development. Model 4 had the lowest renewable resource utilization, the smallest environment load ratio and the biggest emergy sustainable indices. The net emergy yield ratio and emergy self-support ratio of model 2 were close to that of model 3. However, model 2 had a higher development potential because of its lower environment pressure. The science and technology level of the agroforestry ecosystem in the purple soil area was lower. The input of organic manure should be increased. Model 1 was the best model at present and model 4 was the most potential model for development.
- Authors:
- Source: Indian Journal of Agronomy
- Volume: 55
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2010
- Summary: Field trials were conducted on sandy clay loam soils of the Nilgiris during summer seasons of 2003 to 2005 to study the intercropping possibilities of French beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L), maize ( Zea mays L.) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L) with potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) in three population proportions (75:25, 75:50 and 50:50) under rainfed conditions. The results indicated that potato+French bean at 75:50 population recorded significantly higher potato equivalent yield, (PEY) (27.1 t/ha), land equivalent ratio (LER) (1.28) and net returns (Rs 69,090) over sole potato. Intercropping of potato with wheat and maize resulted in significant decrease in PEY over sole potato. Potato is more competitive than other crops as evident from Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC) values. However, at 50:50 ratios, French bean and maize are more competitive. Potato+maize (75:50 and 50:50) was found soil exhaustive while potato+French bean is soil restorative system.
- Authors:
- Rhykerd, R.
- Ossom, E.
- Mayisela, M.
- Source: Journal of Applied Sciences Research
- Issue: February
- Year: 2010
- Summary: A field investigation was conducted in Swaziland, in 2008/2009 cropping season, to evaluate effects that different groundnut populations could exert on growth indices and crop yields in a groundnut sweetpotato association. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block of five treatments: [1, pure sweetpotato (33,333 plants ha -1); 2, pure groundnut (200,000 plants ha -1); 3, pure groundnut (100,000 plants ha -1); 4, sweetpotato (33,333 plants ha -1) intercropped with groundnut (200,000 plants ha -1); and 5, sweetpotato (33,333 plants ha -1); intercropped with groundnut (100,000 plants ha -1)] and replicated four times. Results showed that intercropping sweetpotato (33,333 plants ha -1) with a high groundnut population (200,000 plants ha -1) significantly (P
- Authors:
- Rao, K.
- Nedunchezhiyan, M.
- Satapathy, B.
- Source: Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences
- Volume: 80
- Issue: 4
- Year: 2010
- Summary: A field experiment was conducted during 2006-08 in Alfisols under rainfed conditions to investigate the productivity potential, biological efficiency and economics of sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas L.)-based strip intercropping systems. Among the crops tested, sweet potato as a sole crop recorded higher yield (13 367 kg/ha) than other crops. Among strip intercropping, sweet potato tuber yield was higher (8 538 kg/ha) in sweet potato+pigeonpea. In sweet potato+pigeonpea intercropping increase in number of tubers/plant (3.1), tuber length (12.6 cm), mean tuber diameter (8.9 cm) and tuber yield/plant (213 g) were noticed than sole sweet potato. All the strip intercropping systems showed superiority over sole crops in terms of sweet potato tuber equivalent yield. However, sweet potato+pigeonpea intercropping system recorded significantly higher tuber equivalent yield (13 534 kg/ha) than other intercropping systems. Strip intercropping system of sweet potato+pigeonpea resulted in higher LER (1.31), the product of relative crowding co-efficient (K=3.52) and benefit:cost ratio (3.24).
- Authors:
- Akinpelu, A.
- Amangbo, L.
- Ano, A.
- Njoku, S.
- Ebeniro, C.
- Source: Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR)
- Volume: 10
- Issue: 2
- Year: 2010
- Summary: A field trial was conducted for 2 years to determine cropping system effect on yield of some sweetpotato and okra cultivars in an intercropping system. Sweetpotato variety TIS 87/0087 produced significantly (P
- Authors:
- Source: Advances in Environmental Biology
- Volume: 4
- Issue: 2
- Year: 2010
- Summary: Intercropping is the growing of two or more crop species at the same time and in the same field. Sweetpotato [ Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is receiving new attention as a life-saving food crop in developing countries. Jugo bean [ Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] is a leguminous species similar to peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.). Though leguminous crops have been associated with sweetpotato under intercropping systems, it is not known what effects different jugo bean populations could have under intercropping with a fixed population of sweetpotato. The objective of this experiment was to assess the effects of jugo bean plant population on physiological growth indices and crop yields under intercropping.
