The competitive behaviour of sorghum-cowpea intercrops at different planting patterns were studied at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching and Research farm, Bauchi in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. The treatments comprised of three row arrangements of sorghum/cowpea mixtures; one row of sorghum for one row of cowpea (1S:1C), two rows of sorghum for one row of cowpea (2S:1C) and one row of sorghum for two rows of cowpea (1S:2C), respectively. Sole crops of sorghum and cowpea were included as check to compare yields of intercropped mixtures. Results indicated that grain and straw yields of both sorghum and cowpea were higher in sole cropping than in the intercropping mixtures. However, the 2S:1C planting arrangement exhibited higher LER, competitive indices values, SPI and MAI (N7857.11) compared to the other planting arrangements and the sole crops. From this study, it is inferred that intercropping of sorghum with cowpea at 2S:1C planting pattern will give higher income, better land use efficiency and thus enhancing sustainability of crop production than sole culture of each crop species.

Field experiments were conducted during the wet seasons of 1986 and 1987 at the Yandev Agricultural Experiment Station to investigate the effects of component density on the yield of sorghum or maize intercropped with soybean. Seed yield of the monocrops of sorghum, maize and soybean were higher than the individual components in the intercrops. Yields of component crops in the intercrop varied significantly with the components population density. The sorghum/soybean intercrops which had LER (Land Equivalent Ratio) up to 1.40 in 1986 and 1.35 in 1987 were more productive than soybean/maize intercrop with maximum LER of 1.28 and 1.34 respectively during 1986 and 1987. Similarly the ATER (Area X Time Equivalent Ratio) of sorghum/soybean was greater than in soybean/maize. However, for maximum productivity of sorghum or maize intercropped with soybean, optimum population of one component crop plus 1/2 optimum population of the companion crop is recommended depending on which of the crop is regarded as main or minor crop.

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The excessive unjustified use of some kinds of fertilizers has seen some farmers realizing poor quality fruit that does not appeal to the final consumer, thus negatively affecting the effort of alleviating poverty in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This experiment was carried out at the Horticulture Department Lath House, Faculty of Agriculture, Luyengo Campus of the University of Eswatini to determine the growth, yield and shelf-life of green pepper when fertilized with kraal manure, poultry manure and inorganic fertilizer. The experiment was conducted to find the optimum levels of fertilizers that promotes the growth of pepper and to find the effects of different fertilizers on yield and quality of pepper. The treatments included kraal manure applied at 60 t/ha, [NPK (2:3:2) 37] at 370 kg/ha, chicken manure at 40 t per hectare and the control with no amendment. The results showed that growing pepper using the four treatments significantly affected its growth rate, leaf number, fruit number and its (fruit) shelf life. Pepper grown using inorganic fertilizer had the highest leaf number followed in decreasing order by chicken manure, kraal manure and lastly peppers which did not receive any amendment.  There were no significant difference in the growth rate of pepper in the inorganic fertilizer and chicken manure treatments. Similarly, there was no significant difference of pepper grown with chicken manure and chemical fertilizer in the number of days it took the harvested pepper to reach 100% decay stored at room temperature for 21 days. Yet pepper grown with kraal manure was significantly different from the two as it showed 20% decay rate in the same number of days. Although the control had the least decay, the yield was the lowest thus it is not recommended. Kraal manure at 60 t/ha is recommended in the production of pepper with a longer shelf life.

Amaranthus is also known as African spinach is a good source of carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron and micronutrients. It is believed to have been used widely among hunter-gatherers. The objective of the experiment was to find the effects of organic fertilizers on amaranthus growth, development and yield. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments and each replicated five times. Plant growth and yield increased (P<0.05) on amaranths fertilized with stillage. Kraal manure followed the stillage in terms of performance with the control (no fertilizer) recording the least significant effect on growth and yield of amaranthus. Because of stillage's impact on the growth and yield of amaranthus, it is recommended for a grower aiming for high yields of amaranthus using organic fertilizer.