Watermelon Intercropped With Cereals Under Semi-Arid Conditions: An on-Farm Study

Abstract

Intercropping is a common practice in Africa, but the advantage compared to sole cropping depends on the crop plants and local agro-ecological conditions. The potential of intercropping maize (Zea mays) or sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) with watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) was tested in two on-farm trials in southern Mozambique under semi-arid conditions in an area with low and unpredictable rainfall. In the first experiment, plant density, yield and monetary value of sole and intercropping plots of maize with watermelon were determined in 17 farmers' fields in an area where all crops developed to maturity and harvest. There was a significant reduction in yield of both maize (28.8%) and watermelon (57.8%) in the intercrop compared with the sole crop yields. However, the mean land equivalent ratio of 1.13 for yield showed that intercropping had advantages as, on average, an area planted with sole crops would require 13% more land than an intercrop production to generate the same outcome. In the second experiment, carried out in another area with 16 farmers' fields, drought was more pronounced and only watermelon developed to maturity. Intercroppings with maize and sorghum resulted in 70% and 69% yield reduction, respectively. In conclusion, watermelon is a good companion crop for intercropping with cereals to mitigate the risk of total crop failure due to drought. I N T RO D U C T I O NIntercropping with two or more crop plants grown in mixture is a common practice in developing countries of the tropics (Seran and Brintha, 2010;Willey, 1990). One important reason for the widespread use is the increase in productivity per unit of land that may be achieved (Seran and Brintha, 2010). Several studies have shown that farmer's adoption of intercropping schemes may be ascribed to improved use of resources providing yield stability, soil protection, better economic returns and a more secure food supply (Mucheru-Muna et al., 2010;Seran and Brintha, 2010;Willey, 1990). This resource use efficiency is related to both an inherent efficiency of the component crops and complementary effects between crops in the system. In addition, intercrop effects depend on cultivation practices like planting time and density, water and nutrient supply, etc. (Seran and Brintha, 2010;Zegada-Lizarazu et al., 2005).

Maximizing Productivity, Profitability and Land Use Efficiency by Relay Intercropping Watermelon with some Wheat Cultivars under Drip Irrigation System

“…About 50-53% of watermelon cultivation area during that period was cultivated in new reclaimed land using drip irrigation. Due to wider spacing between the watermelon plants and the large unutilized inter-space can be exploited for growing inter and mixed crops successfully to increase land use efficiency, farmers income, food security, reduction of soil erosion, pest, disease and weed control (Munisse et al, 2012).…”

Impact of an intercropped melon/cowpea system on the coupling between soil bacterial community structure and chemical properties

“…As far as we know, the melon-cowpea intercropping system has not been studied in depth, nor have intercropping patterns between these two crops. However, this combination could be an important choice for sustainable agriculture management, given that cowpea is a legume, which xes atmospheric nitrogen and thus supplies it to companion plants like watermelon or melon that at the same time provide soil shading to conserve water moisture 34 .…”

What Is the Evidence Base for Climate-Smart Agriculture in East and Southern Africa? A Systematic Map

“…Despite most data being on a relatively small number of practices, significant data are available for practices of high interest to the development community. For example, 28% of the data is on practices that diversify production systems such as rotations, intercropping and agroforestry (e.g., Myaka et al 2006;Munisse et al 2012;Thierfelder et al 2013;Nyamadzawo et al 2008;Chamshama et al 1998). Therefore, some information exists to reduce the uncertainty about implementing such interventions.…”