Effect of Intercropping and Crop Arrangement on Yield and Yield Components of Late Season Maize and Cowpea in the Upland of Njala Soil Series Southern Sierra Leone

Abstract

A field study was conducted during the 2014 late cropping season (October) in the upland, at the School of Agriculture (SOA). SOA is located on an elevation of 5m above sea level on latitude 806N and longitude 1206W of the equator. The study aims to determine the effect of intercropping and crop arrangement on yield and yield component of late-season maize and cowpea production in the upland of Njala soil series, Kori chiefdom, Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone. The experiment had five treatments, sole maize crop, sole cowpea crop, intercrop 1 (spacing of 40 cm between rows of maize and cowpeas), intercrop 2 (spacing of 20cm between rows of maize and cowpeas), and intercrop 3 (Both crops were randomly planted). The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design and the experimental plots were replicated three times. There were significant differences in mean Fresh biomass weight, Leaf number, and Days to 50%. Sole maize yielded the highest maize grain weight, yield components, and other growth parameters (Plant height, Leaf area, Leaf number, and Stem girth). Sole cowpea yielded the highest cowpea grain weight, yield components, and other growth parameters (Plant height, lateral branches, Leaf area, and Leaf number). Among the intercrops, intercrop 1 yielded the highest grain weight, yield components, and other growth parameters for intercrops. The LER of intercrop 1&2 was above 1.0 indicating that the land utilization efficiency for maize-cowpea intercropping was more advantageous than for sole cropping.