Comparative Evaluation of the Contribution of Leguminous Crops to Soil conservation, productivity of Selected Advanced Pre Release Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato lines and the Profitability of the Cropping System
Anyaegbu Polycarp Ozobia& Ekwugha, Ugochi Eucharia
Department of Crop Science, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
Email: anyaegbupoly@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Field experiments were conducted during the 2015 and 2016 rainy seasons at the Abuja University Research Farm, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, to evaluate the Contribution of Leguminous Crops to Soil conservation, productivity of Selected Advanced Pre Release Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato lines and the Profitability of the cropping System. Treatments consisted of Groundnut+ AYT/08/055, Groundnut+NRSP/11/097, Groundnut+EA/11/003, Groundnut+UM/SP/03, Groundnut+ Kwara, Soybean+AYT/08/055, Soybean+NRSP/11/097, Soybean+EA/11/003, Soybean+UM/SP/03, Soybean+AYT/08 Soybean+ Kwara, Cow pea+ AYT/08/055, Cow pea+NRSP/11/097, Cow pea+ EA/11/003, Cow pea+ UM/SP/03, Cow pea+ Kwara, Pigion pea+ AYT/08/055, Pigion pea+NRSP/11/097, Pigeon pea+ EA/11/003, Pigion pea+ UM/SP/03, Pigion pea+Kwara. combined factorially in a Randomized Complete Block Design. Results revealed that the status of some basic elements which was very poor before the experiment commenced was enhanced significantly (P>0.05) especially in Groundnut/Potato and Cowpea/Potato intercrop plots.Generelly, Sweet potato lines established by 95% in mixture with legumes and by 75% under sole crops. AYT/08/055 in groundnut mixture produced 33%, under soybean,22%, cowpea, 6% and in Pigeon pea mixture,34% more root yield than its sole crop root yield while NRSP/11/097 groundnut mixture produced 28%, in soybean mixture, 16% and in Pigeon pea mixture 34% more root yield than its sole crop yield but under cowpea/legume mixture, its root yield was 8% less than its sole crop yield an indication of strong inter specific competition between the two crops. AE/11/003 line produced under groundnut mixture 28%, in soybean 24%, cowpea 6% and under pigeon pea mixture, 28% more root yield than its sole crop yield. For UM/SP/03, its intercrop yield was more than its sole crop yield by 28% in groundnut mixture, 24% in soybean mixture and 34% in pigeon pea mixture but was 42% less than the sole crop in cowpea mixture. Kwara variety produced 5% more root yield in groundnut mixture, 8% in soybean mixture and 24% in pigeon pea mixture than its sole crop yield but its sole crop root yield was 10% higher than its intercrop yield in cowpea mixture. Pigeon pea+NRSP/11/097 gave the highest L.E.C. while UMU/SP/O3+ soybean mixture gave the lowest L.E.C.(0.45) and the highest GM (4.85) was obtained from Pigeon pea+NRSP/11/097 mixture while the least (0.644) came from Cow pea+ UM/SP/03 crop mixture. For intercropping purposes, it is therefore suggested that potato/groundnut and potato/pigeon pea intercrops are more suitable for high yield.
Keywords: Comparative, Contribution, soil conservation, Intercropping, Sole cropping, Land Equivalent Ratio, Land Equivalent Coefficient, Benefit Cost Ratio.
