Comparative indices for the evaluation of the effectiveness of intercropping systems in yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Department of Vocational Education, Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY), Nigeria; Department of Crop Production and Horticulture FUTY, Nigeria
Abakura, J.B., Department of Vocational Education, Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY), Nigeria; Gungula, D.T., Department of Crop Production and Horticulture FUTY, Nigeria; Sajo, A.A., Department of Vocational Education, Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY), Nigeria
Field experiments were conducted during 2002, 2003, and 2004 rainfed cropping seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Crop Production and Horticulture, Federal University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria. The experiments were conducted to evaluate the advantages of additive intercropping (maize-groundnut, maize-cowpea and maize-soybean). The indices (models) used included land equivalent ratio (LER), area × time equivalent ratio (ATER) and crop compensation ratio (CCR), which are commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of intercropping systems. The total LER and ATER of the intercrops were quite similar in three years because the maturity of maize and legumes did not vary significantly among the intercrops and the sole crops in Yola. The yield advantages as per total LER ranged from 64% to 80% while the ATER ranged from 71% to 93% in 2003. The highest value of CCR of 2.70 in 2003 and 2.59 in 2002 were obtained from maize-cowpea grown at 1m × 0.20m., while a value of 1.47 was obtained by maize-groundnut grown at 1m × 0.20m intra row spacing in 2004. This study justified the choice of farmers in the region who more often grow maize-cowpea rather than maize-groundnut or maize-soybean because of the greater compensation ratio associated with maize-cowpea intercropping.