Benefits of Legume Crops in Rotation and Intercropping for Increased Production and Land Use

THIS STUDY was carried out at Mallawi Agric. Res. St. during …. the two seasons of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 to study the effect of preceding winter crops (wheat, wheat + fahl berseem, faba bean + onion or berseem) and intercropping maize with cowpea on production and land use. A split plots design with three replications was used. The results showed that maize, cowpea and associated weeds were significantly affected by both preceding winter crops and intercropping system. Planting maize after legume crops (faba bean + onion or berseem) produced the highest values of maize yield and yield components. While maize grown after wheat had the lowest values. Increase of maize grain yield was 8.0%, after faba bean + onion, while increase after wheat + fahl berseem was 1.4% as compared with those grown after wheat. The weed density in maize grown after berseem was reduced by 44.0% as compared with that grown after wheat.
The yield and yield components of maize were increased when intercropped with cowpea. The increased in grain yield was 2.5%, while forage green yield of intercropped cowpea was reduced by 67% compared to solid planting. Weeds density in intercropped maize was reduced (59%) compared with solid planting.
The highest values of LER (1.35) were observed when was the winter crop wheat. The highest values of the intensification index (2.64) were observed by the crop sequence faba bean + onion / maize +cowpea. The crop sequence berseem / maize + cowpea recorded the highest values of cereal unit, while the crop sequence wheat + fahl berseem / maize + cowpea had the highest values for total revenue and net return. It is concluded that the preceding legume crops had a large effect on maize yield and a small effect on weed density. Intercropping maize with cowpea had a large effect on weed density.