There are several hurdles to ensure sustainable seed production and consistent flow of improved legume varieties in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA). The unreliable demand, autogamous nature of most of the grain legumes, and slow variety replacement rate by smallholder farmers do not provide strong incentive for private seed companies to invest in legume seed business. Unless a well thought‐out and comprehensive approach to legume seed delivery is developed, current seed shortages will continue, eroding emerging market opportunities. The experiences reported here are collated through a 10‐year partnership project, the Tropical Legumes in SSA and SA. It fostered innovative public–private partnerships in joint testing of innovative market‐led seed systems, skills and knowledge enhancement, de‐risking private sector initiatives that introduced in new approaches and previously overlooked entities in technology delivery. As new public and private seed companies, individual seed entrepreneurs and farmer organizations emerged, the existing ones enhanced their capacities. This resulted in significant rise in production, availability and accessibility of various seed grades of newly improved and farmer demanded legume varieties in the target countries.
ABSTRACT. Field experiments were conducted from July to October, during 2012 and2013 cropping seasons, at the Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria, to evaluate the effects of intra-row spacing of sesame and frequency of weeding on yields of maize-sesame intercrop. The trial was a 3 x 3 factorial experiment fitted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Nine of the treatments consisted of intercropped maize with sesame sown at the intra-row spacing of 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cm, and at the varied weeding frequencies: maizesesame intercrop sown on plots weeded once (1x) at 3 weeks after planting (WAP); maize-sesame intercrop sown on plots weeded twice (2x) at 3 and 6 WAP; maize-sesame intercrop sown on plots not weeded (NW). Sole sesame and sole maize respectively sown at their recommended intra-row spacing of 10 cm and 30 cm and at their recommended frequency of weeding (2x at 3 and 6 WAP) constituted the tenth and eleventh treatments, which also served as control plots. The results obtained showed that in a maize-sesame intercrop, increasing intra-row spacing of sesame up to 20 cm, on plots weeded 2x at 3 and 6 WAP, significantly (P≤0.05) produced the highest intercrop yields of maize and sesame. This level of treatment not only recorded the lowest competitive pressure, but gave the highest total intercrop yields, highest land equivalent coefficient values (1.01 and 1.13 respectively, in years 2012 and 2013), indicating the highest yield advantage, and highest land equivalent ratio (LER) values of 2.11 and 2.25 respectively recorded for years 2012 and 2013. With these LER values, 52.6 % and 55.6 % of land were respectively saved in years 2012 and 2013, which could be used for other agricultural purposes. The implication of study showed that, to maximize intercrop yields of maize and sesame in a maize-sesame intercrop, the appropriate intrarow spacing for sesame is 20 cm, while the optimal frequency of weeding is 2x at 3 and 6 WAP. This should therefore, be recommended for Makurdi location, Nigeria.
Limited access to and low use of quality seed of improved varieties rank among the topmost causes of persistently low cowpea yields in Nigeria. This paper presents experiences under the Tropical Legume III (TL III) project in facilitating the access of smallholder farmers to seeds of improved cowpea varieties through the establishment of innovation platforms (IPs) that were introduced in 2015 as part of the activities of the TL III project. There was rapid adoption and use of newly released varieties by farmers as a result of increased awareness of improved varieties through multi-media and user-friendly communication strategies and tools. During the four years of the project (2015–2018), a total of seven multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs), which comprised six seed companies, 46 farmer groups, five public seed enterprises, two NGOs, and 718 individual seed entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, were established/strengthened to link actors in the cowpea value chain. Community-based seed producers were linked to seed companies while seed companies were linked to research institutions to access early generation seed (EGS). These activities led to the production of over 532 tons of basic seed and 8366 tons of certified/QDS seed of improved cowpea varieties that were entrenched in the seed system. Yield also increased almost twofold from 500 to 900 kg/ha on farmers’ field. Women and youth incomes increased as a result of seed entrepreneurship activities. The small packs approach was an efficient and cost-effective means of reaching more farmers with affordable quantities of seed and a wide range of preferred varieties.
Field experiments were conducted from July to November during the 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons, at the Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria, to evaluate the yields of two newly introduced sesame varieties (Ex Sudan and SN 603) against the commonly grown variety "E-8" under intercropping with maize variety 'Oba 98'. The trial area consisted of a total of seven treatments, replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. The results showed that, though maize yield was not significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by intercropping with sesame varieties, however, intercropped yield of sesame variety 'Ex Sudan' was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) greater by 26.8 % and 25.6 % respectively, in years 2012 and 2013, compared to that obtained from intercropped sesame variety 'SN 603', and by 19.5 % and 20.9 % respectively, in years 2012 and 2013, compared to that produced from intercropped popular sesame variety 'E-8'. Intercropping maize variety 'Oba 98' with sesame variety 'Ex Sudan' gave the highest total intercrop yield, greatest biological efficiency with a relative yield total values of 0.87 and 0.91 respectively, in 2012 and 2013. The combination also recorded the highest land equivalent ratio (LER), highest land equivalent coefficient, highest area x time equivalent ratio (ATER), highest total monetary returns (N584,200 and N588,600 respectively, in years 2012 and 2013) and highest monetary equivalent ratio (MER). The implication of study showed that sesame variety 'Ex Sudan' performed best and could therefore be recommended as a potential replacement for the popular variety 'E-8' under intercropping with maize variety 'Oba 98' in Makurdi, Nigeria.
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