Effect of Fertilizer Level and Intercropping with Bambara Nut (\u3cem\u3eVigna subterranea\u3c/em\u3e) on the Growth and Herbage Yield of Maize

The low fertility status of most tropical soils has hindered maize production as maize has a strong exhausting effect on the soil. It has been generally observed that maize fails to produce good grain in plots without adequate nutrients (Adediran and Banjoko 2003). Legumes generally are able to fix nitrogen to the soil which the companion crop could benefit from, but usually the nitrogen fixed occurs in insufficient quantities for marginally nitrogen sensitive crops such as maize and hence the required use of fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers exert strong influences on plant growth, development and yield (Stefano et al. 2004). The use of legumes in mixed cropping systems is one of the traditional soil-fertility maintenance strategies. Legume-cereal intercropping often increases the quantity and quality of residues, which could improve livestock production considerably in addition to benefits in soil fertility but may decrease the yield of the companion cereal crop (Nandi and Haque 1986). Although the beneficial effects of intercropping legumes have been demonstrated by intercropping cereals with a few legumes such as cowpea, lablab, soybean etc, the same cannot be said for all legumes. This study aims at investigating the effect of fertilizer levels and intercropping with bambara nut (Vigna subterranean L.Verdc) on the growth and yield of maize for use as forage

Effect of Plant Spacing on the Growth and Yield of Forage Plant, Maize, Intercropped with Cowpea (\u3cem\u3eVigna unguiculata\u3c/em\u3e sub spp. \u3cem\u3esesquipedalis\u3c/em\u3e)

Feed constraint is the most important impediment to improved livestock production in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries (Agyemang 2003), as a result of seasonal shortages in the quantity and quality of forage from natural pastures that supply most of the feed for animals due to the prolonged annual dry season. Appropriate technologies to improve the performance of the local animal breeds and feed resources under the traditional system are generally lacking. Maize forms a major part of the cereal crops consumed by man and the residues serve as a source of fodder for livestock (Asawalam and Adesiyan 2001). Demand for maize has led farmers to reduce planting spacing. When crops are grown sole, spacing and planting pattern differ from when intercropped. Maize is known to be a very heavy soil nutrient utiliser and usually produces low yield in situations of low soil fertility and poor agronomic practices. Intercropping maize with legumes has shown prospects for improving maize crop yield and this would result in a reduction in the use of high cost synthetic fertilizers. The cowpea is an example of such legume and little work has been done on plant spacing for this crop in an intercropping system with maize. Plant spacing is an important agronomic attribute as it has effects on light interception which is the energy manufacturing medium of green parts of the plant (Ibeawuchi, et al. 2008)