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EFFECT OF TIME OF EGGPLANT INTRODUCTION ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF WHITE AND ORANGE-FLESHED SWEETPOTATO/EGGPLANT INTERCROP IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of time of introduction of eggplant on the productivity of white and orange-fleshed sweetpotato/eggplant intercropping in the rainforest agro ecological zone of south east, Nigeria in 2014 and 2015 cropping seasons. The experiment was laid out as factorial in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments consist of combinations of five different times of introduction of eggplant [(simultaneous planting of eggplant and sweetpotato varieties, eggplant 2 weeks before planting (WBP) and 2 weeks after planting (WAP) sweetpotato varieties; eggplant 4 WBP and 4 WAP sweetpotato varieties) and two sweetpotato varieties (white fleshed TIS 87/0087 and orange-fleshed Umuspo 1)]. Results indicate that intercropping reduced growth and yield of eggplant and sweetpotato. Eggplant introduced 4 WBP sweetpotato resulted significantly (P<0.05) to a higher fruit yield of eggplant while eggplant introduced 4 WAP sweetpotato gave higher sweetpotato root yield compared to other times of introducing eggplant. Total LERs for both years were above unity for all times of eggplant introduction but the best productivity was obtained from simultaneous planting of eggplant and orange-fleshed Umuspo 1 sweetpotato variety. The highest gross monetary returns and net returns were also obtained from simultaneous planting of eggplant and orange-fleshed Umuspo 1 sweetpotato variety.
