Growth, Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Maize-Sorghum Intercrop at Samaru, Northern Guinea Savannah, Nigeria

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted during the rainy seasons in 2000 and 2001 at the Research Farm, Institute for Agricultural Research, Samaru, (11° 11’ N, 7 °37’E and 675m above sea level), Northern Nigeria to evaluate the effect of intercropping on the growth, yield and water use efficiency of a Maize-Sorghum intercrop. Intercropping is a cropping system widely practiced in the Nigerian savanna that utilizes moisture to produce several crops on one piece of land. The trial involved a maize and a sorghum variety planted as sole and intercrop in different planting arrangements (row and alternate) of both crops laid out in a randomized complete blocks design replicated three times. Results indicate that the row planting arrangement significantly out yielded the alternate arrangement but was similar to the sole crop planting arrangement. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) values indicated more efficient utilization of space by intercrops than sole cropping. Intercropping also resulted in more efficient utilization of moisture by the intercrops compared to the sole crops.

Keywords: Maize-Sorghum intercrop, row planting, alternate planting, yield advantage, water use efficiency

Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Science (2011), 19 (2): 253-259