Abstract
Aims: Maize-cowpea intercropping has been identified as a sustainable practice for enhancing food security and resource efficiency in smallholder farming systems. This study investigated the effects of varying varietal combinations and relative planting times on growth, yield attributes, and productivity within maize-cowpea intercrop systems. Study Design: A 3 x 3 factorial laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Place and Duration of Study: Mampong-Ashanti, located in the Forest–Savannah Transition Zone of Ghana, during the 2021 minor and 2022 major cropping seasons. Methodology: The study included four sole crops comprising three maize varieties and one cowpea variety. The treatments were: (A) three varietal combinations [(i) Abontem maize + Zamzam cowpea, (ii) Opeaburo maize + Zamzam cowpea and (iii) Omankwa maize + Zamzam cowpea] and three relative times of planting [(i) maize planted 2 weeks before cowpea (M2WBC), (ii) maize planted simultaneously with cowpea (SIM) and (iii) cowpea planted 2 weeks before maize (C2WBM)]. Results: The results showed that sole cropping of Opeaburo maize promoted earlier tasseling and silking, while cowpea flowered earlier when planted after Opeaburo. For vegetative growth, sole Omankwa and Opeaburo produced the tallest maize plants. Cowpea grown simultaneously with Omankwa or Abontem also recorded greater plant height. For yield and yield components, maximum maize grain yield during the 2021 minor season (4.16 t ha⁻¹) was obtained when Omankwa was planted two weeks after cowpea, while in the 2022 major season, sole Omankwa recorded the highest yield (2.94 t ha⁻¹). Cowpea grain yield peaked under sole cropping in the 2021 minor season (346.50 kg ha⁻¹) and under simultaneous planting with Opeaburo in 2022 (405.25 kg ha⁻¹). Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) indicated greater efficiency in Abontem + Zamzam when maize was sown two weeks before cowpea, and in Opeaburo + Zamzam under simultaneous planting. Based on these findings, planting Abontem maize either two weeks before or simultaneously with cowpea is recommended for farmers interested in maize-cowpea intercropping for higher yield. Conclusion: Varietal combination and relative times of planting had a varying effect on maize and cowpea growth and yield.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Sole Opeaburo maize tasseled and silked earlier.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“sole cropping of Opeaburo maize promoted earlier tasseling and silking”
t0“Maize + Cowpea Intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea flowered earlier when planted after Opeaburo.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatae0 - Treatment
- planted after Opeaburoe0
- Outcome
- flowerede0
- Direction
- earliere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cowpea flowered earlier when planted after Opeaburo”
Claim · model-written summary
Sole Omankwa and Opeaburo produced the tallest maize plants.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“sole Omankwa and Opeaburo produced the tallest maize plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea grown simultaneously with Omankwa or Abontem had greater plant height.
- Taxon
- CowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- simultaneously with Omankwa or Abonteme0
- Outcome
- plant heighte0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cowpea grown simultaneously with Omankwa or Abontem also recorded greater plant height”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize grain yield peaked at 4.16 t ha⁻¹ when Omankwa was planted two weeks after cowpea in the 2021 minor season.
- Material
- Omankwae0
- Treatment
- Omankwa was planted two weeks after cowpeae0
- Outcome
- maize grain yielde0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Value
- 4.16 t ha⁻¹e0
- Qualifier
- 2021 minor seasone0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maximum maize grain yield during the 2021 minor season (4.16 t ha⁻¹) was obtained when Omankwa was planted two weeks after cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Sole Omankwa had the highest maize yield of 2.94 t ha⁻¹ in the 2022 major season.
- Material
- Omankwae0
- Treatment
- sole Omankwae0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 2.94 t ha⁻¹e0
- Qualifier
- 2022 major seasone0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the 2022 major season, sole Omankwa recorded the highest yield (2.94 t ha⁻¹)”
t0“Maize + Cowpea Intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea grain yield peaked under sole cropping at 346.50 kg ha⁻¹ in 2021.
- Taxon
- CowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- sole croppinge0
- Outcome
- Cowpea grain yielde0
- Direction
- peakede0
- Value
- 346.50 kg ha⁻¹e0
- Qualifier
- 2021 minor seasone0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cowpea grain yield peaked under sole cropping in the 2021 minor season (346.50 kg ha⁻¹)”
Claim · model-written summary
Cowpea grain yield peaked at 405.25 kg ha⁻¹ with simultaneous planting with Opeaburo in 2022.
- Taxon
- CowpeaVigna unguiculatat0
- Treatment
- simultaneous planting with Opeaburoe0
- Outcome
- Cowpea Intercroppingt0
- Value
- 405.25 kg ha⁻¹e0
- Qualifier
- 2022e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“under simultaneous planting with Opeaburo in 2022 (405.25 kg ha⁻¹)”
t0“Maize + Cowpea Intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
Land Equivalent Ratio indicated greater efficiency for Abontem + Zamzam with maize sown two weeks before cowpea.
- Treatment
- Abontem + Zamzam when maize was sown two weeks before cowpeae0
- Outcome
- Land Equivalent Ratio (LER)e0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) indicated greater efficiency in Abontem + Zamzam when maize was sown two weeks before cowpea”
t0“Maize + Cowpea Intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
Land Equivalent Ratio indicated greater efficiency for Opeaburo + Zamzam with simultaneous planting.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“and in Opeaburo + Zamzam under simultaneous planting”
t0“Maize + Cowpea Intercropping”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend planting Abontem maize two weeks before or simultaneously with cowpea for higher yield.
- Material
- Abonteme0
- Outcome
- planting Abontem maize either two weeks before or simultaneously with cowpeae0
- Direction
- higher yielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“planting Abontem maize either two weeks before or simultaneously with cowpea is recommended for farmers interested in maize-cowpea intercropping for higher yield”
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See all 8 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.