The Effects on Soil Temperature and Moisture Content and Crop Growth and Yield of Intercropping Maize with Melon (Colocynthis vulgaris)

Abstract

SUMMARYThe effects of various intercropping patterns of maize and melon on soil temperature and moisture content and crop growth and yield were compared in field trials over a two year period. Intercropping raised soil temperature in the upper 10 cm at 0600 h and reduced it at 1000, 1400 and 1800 h, and also increased soil moisture content by about 30%, compared with maize sole cropping. Melon biomass and seed yields were reduced by intercropping but maize growth characters were unaffected. However, the reduction in melon yields was less when grown with maize in widely spaced rows. Maize intercropped with melon in alternate pairs of rows (2:2) gave the best land equivalent ratio (LER).

Response of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) and soil properties to different mulch materials in different cropping seasons

“…Similarly, Agele et al (2010), conducted experiment to the suitability of some mulch materials for soil improvement and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), compared with unmulched plots and found that mulching significantly improved soil moisture and temperature regimes. Other studies from agricultural fields from the humid tropics had shown that mulching ameliorates soil moisture deficit and temperature regime, improves water infiltration, reduces evaporation and run-off and improves soil structure (Olasantan, 1988). The better soil physical properties of grass mulch materials in 2015 (dry season) compared with legume mulch materials could be related to grass mulch materials slower break down, thus providing better soil moisture conservation and reducing soil temperature.…”

“…Mulching is reported to ameliorate soil moisture deficient and extremely high soil temperature regimes, mitigate low temperatures and improves soil fertility and yield of crops (Agele et al, 2000;Olasantan, 1988;Adekiya et al, 2015) and eliminate compaction of ridges and mounds (Aina, 1979). Mulching has also been shown to improve water infiltration, reduce evaporation and runoff, control weeds and improve soil structure (Olasantan, 1988).…”

“…Mulching has also been shown to improve water infiltration, reduce evaporation and runoff, control weeds and improve soil structure (Olasantan, 1988). Mulching is practicable in derived-savannah zone of Nigeria due to high rainfall of the wet season and resulting heavy vegetation growth.…”

Overyielding and interspecific interactions mediated by nitrogen fertilization in strip intercropping of maize with faba bean, wheat and barley

“…Intercropping (or multiple cropping) is relatively common in tropical and temperate areas because of the effective utilization of resources such as water (Olasantan 1988;Xu et al 2008), nutrients (Morris and Garrity 1993;Zhang and Li 2003) and solar energy (Harris et al 1987;Natarajan and Willey 1985), because of protection from insect, weed and crop diseases (Gahukar 1989;Trenbath 1993;Zhu et al 2000) and because of effective use of arable land (Francis 1985;Ghosh 2004;Vandermeer 1989). The majority of intercropping systems involve legume/ cereal combinations (Francis 1985;Vandermeer 1989;Ghosh 2004) because of interspecific facilitation or complementarity (Willey 1979;Vandermeer 1989;Loreau et al 2001), and most of the research that has been conducted on intercropping has therefore focused on mixtures of legumes and cereals.…”

Physiological responses of maize and cowpea to intercropping

“…In recent years there has been an interest on intercropping not only due to reported advantages of this system over monocropping (Allen & Obura, 1983;Chang & Shibles, 1985;Olasantan, 1988), but also in searching for detailed knowledge of how different species are able to coexist productively (Vandermeer, 1984). The idea is based on a few wellknown concepts from theoretical ecology whose goal is to find out how the species interact.…”