Intercropping and crop arrangement effect on the incidence of Viral disease of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) walp.] in the southern guinea savannah agroecology of Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Field experiments were carried out at the Teaching and Research farm of the University of Ilorin, situated within the guinea savannah agroecology of Kwara State during the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 cropping seasons to evaluate the effect of intercropping and crop arrangement on the incidence of viral disease of cowpea in the agroecology. The experiments were laid out as a factorial fitted into a randomized complete block design. There were three intercropping arrangement pattern of cowpea-maize-cowpea-maize, cowpea-cowpea-maize-maize and sole cowpea (control). Each of the treatments were replicated three times and the treatments randomly assigned to the plots. The results showed that intercropping of cowpea-maize-cowpea-maize had the lowest virus disease incidence. This intercropping arrangement also had the highest yield parameters compared to the other two treatments. Plots sown to sole cowpea were the most susceptible to viruses and also recorded the lowest yield.