Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
Kabura, B.H., Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; Musa, B., Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria; Odo, P.E., Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
Field studies were conducted during the 2002/2003 and 2004/2005 cool dry seasons to assess the effect of different onion/pepper intercrop spacings (additive effect) on yield and yield components of onion (Allium cepa L.) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in the Sudan Savanna, Nigeria. Eight different onion/pepper intercrop spacings and a sole each for the two crops were assigned to plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results obtained for the two years were similar. The sole for both crops produced significantly (p≤0.05) higher marketable bulbs and bulb yield ha-1 for onion and greater number of fruits plant-1 and fresh fruit yield ha-1 for pepper than the intercrops. For the onion based intercrops (onion/pepper), the spacings at 15x20/60x45 cm and 15x20/60x75 cm produced significantly (p<0.05) higher bulb yield ha-1 for both years. Whereas, for the pepper based intercrops (pepper/onion) the yield at 60x30/15x40 cm superceded the yield ha-1 of the other intercrops. The Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) values greater than one were obtained from the onion/pepper intercrops of 15x20/60x45 cm and 15x20/60x75 cm as well as from the pepper/onion combinations of 60x30/15x30 cm and 60x30/15x40 cm. The pepper/onion intercrop of 60x30/15x40 cm appeared as the best with an average LER value of 1.19 for the two years; and therefore a practice to be considered most suitable when adding onion to pepper field. But when adding pepper to onion field, the onion/pepper intercrop of 15x20/60x45 cm which had a mean LER of 1.17 should be considered. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information.
