Plant density effects on growth, yield, leaf area index and light transmission on intercropped maize and Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. in Nigeria

Abstract

SUMMARYIn field experiments at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria, two cow-pea cultivars, TVU-1209 and FARV-13 and a composite maize cultivar were intercropped at plant densities of 10000, 20000, 30000 and 40000 plants/ha in a split-plot design. There were four replications of each density. Results showed that increasing cow-pea plant density increased the number of days to flowering but decreased the numbers of branches and of leaves per plant in both monoculture and mixture. Different varietal responses to plant density were observed for other growth measurements. While TVU-1209 yielded the highest dry matter at 20000 plants/ha in monoculture and mixture, FARV-13 did so at 40000 plants/ha in monoculture and at 20000 in mixture. Some yield components decreased while others were unaffected by increasing plant density. Similar response pattern was observed for maize. Both leaf area index and light interception were greater in FARV-13 than in TVU-1209.