Intercropping, particularly the combination of maize and soybeans, has been widely recognized for its potential to improve nitrogen uptake and promote sustainable agriculture. This study examines the patterns of nitrogen uptake in maize and soybean intercropping systems under different growth stages and phosphorus fertilization levels and investigates the influence of nitrogen uptake on growth parameters such as plant height, leaf area, and biomass accumulation in the maize/soybean intercrop under different phosphorus fertilization regimes. The study also collected chlorophyll samples at different growth stages of maize in monoculture and intercropping with maize or soybean. The results showed that plant height was greater in V10 in both fertilized and unfertilized treatments for intercropped maize and soybean, and chlorophyll concentration was higher in VT intercropped maize. The results also showed a higher accumulation of biomass. Understanding the growth dynamics of these plants in monoculture and intercropping systems and the impact of fertilization practices is crucial for optimizing crop productivity and sustainability in agricultural systems.
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) in collaboration with University of California, Riverside phenotyped 300 Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) of Multi-parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) cowpea population from eight elite cowpea cultivars in Northern Ghana. Among the traits targeted in the phenotyping is extra early maturity suitable for Sudan Savanna agro ecological zone of Ghana. Ten selected extra early genotypes from the MAGIC population were intercropped with maize to identify genotype(s) that can maintain agronomic performances and grain yield. A field experiment was carried out at the Manga Station of SARI, Ghana during the 2018 and 2019 growing season to evaluate the ten extra-early cowpea genotypes in maize/cowpea intercrop. The experimental design used was split plot with three replications. The cropping patterns (row, strip and sole cropping) were assigned to the main plot. Ten cowpea genotypes (MAGIC 008, MAGIC 043, MAGIC 048, MAGIC 055, MAGIC 076, MAGIC 118, MAGIC 154, MAGIC 176, CB27, and SARC 1-57-2) were assigned to sub-plots. The results indicated that the number of seed per pod of the cowpea was not affected by cowpea genotype and intercrop pattern interaction;however, the interaction influenced grain yield, pod per plant, plant height, 50% flowering and 100 seed weight of cowpea. MAGIC genotypes, M008, M048, M055, M154, recorded higher grain yield under both strip intercropping and sole cropping. SARC1-57-2 also recorded the highest grain yield under row intercropping. M048, M055, M076, M176 and SARI’s collection SARC1-57-2 were the top five genotypes in fodder production. Intercropping advantage was compared with sole cropping. Land equivalent ratio greater than 1 was observed for all the genotypes with MAGIC 048 recording the highest LER at strip intercrop
Absolute yield and land use efficiency can be higher in multicrops.Though this phenomenon is common,it is not always the case.Also,these two benefits are frequently confused and do not necessarily occur together.Cropping choices become more complex when considering that multicrops are subject to strong spatial and temporal variation in average soil moisture,which will worsen with climate change.Intercropping in agroecosystems is expected to buffer this impact by favoring resistance to reduced humidity,but there are few empirical/experimental studies to validate this claim.It is not clear if relatively higher multicrop yield and land use efficiency will persist in the face of reduced soil moisture,and how the relation between these benefits might change.Here,we present a relatively simple framework for analyzing this situation.We propose a relative multicrop resistance(RMR)index that captures all possible scenarios of absolute and relative multicrop overyield under water stress.We dissect the ecological components of RMR to understand the relation between higher multicrop yield and land use efficiency and the ecological causes of different overyield scenarios.We demonstrate the use of this framework with data from a 128 microplot greenhouse experiment with small annual crops,arranged as seven-species multicrops and their corresponding monocrops,all under two contrasting watering regimes.We applied simple but robust statistical procedures to resulting data(based on bootstrap methods)to compare RMR,and its components,between different plants/plant parts.We also provide simple graphical tools to analyze the data.