Bayorbor T.B., Addai I.K., Lawson I.Y.D., Dogbe W., Djabletey D.
Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana; Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 52, Tamale, Ghana
Bayorbor, T.B., Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana; Addai, I.K., Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana; Lawson, I.Y.D., Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana; Dogbe, W., Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 52, Tamale, Ghana; Djabletey, D., Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 52, Tamale, Ghana
Five herbaceous legumes, Mucuna pruriens var. nagaland, Mucuna pruriens var. cochichinensis, Crotalaria refusa, Crotalaria juncea and Canavalia ensiformis were evaluated as green manure crops for rain fed rice at Nyankpala, Ghana in the interior guinea savanna zone of Ghana during the 2003 and 2004 cropping seasons. The Mucuna and Canavalia were planted at a spacing of 20x60 cm. Crotalaria was drilled at a seeding rate of 50 kg ha -1 with 20 cm in between the rows. At flowering, the legumes were incorporated into the soil and rice planted. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at 0, 30 or 60 kg ha -1 three weeks after planting rice. The treatment combinations were laid out in a factorial experiment in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Results have shown that nodulation differed significantly among the legumes. Canavalia ensiformis (CE) gave the highest biomass followed by Mucuna pruriens var nagaland (MN). Mucuna pruriens var. nagaland (MN) gave the highest N accumulation. Incorporation of Mucuna pruriens var nagaland plus fertilizer application (30 kg N ha -1) enhanced yield of rice. It is recommended that for increased yield of rice, farmers in Northern Region of Ghana could integrate Mucuna pruriens var nagaland (MN) into their cropping system with fertilizer N application not exceeding 30 kg N ha -1. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information.