The effects of tillage methods and intercropping on soil water characteristics, growth and grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea, L.) on an alfisol in South West, Nigeria | Zendy

A. S. Ajayi | Zendy

Open Access

The effects of tillage methods and intercropping on soil water characteristics, growth and grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea, L.) on an alfisol in South West, Nigeria

Author(s) -

A. S. Ajayi

Publication year - 2015

Publication title -

african journal of agricultural research

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

ISSN - 1991-637X

DOI - 10.5897/ajar2015.9964

Subject(s) - intercropping , agronomy , alfisol , tillage , arachis hypogaea , zea mays , conventional tillage , cropping system , mathematics , arachis , soil water , crop , biology , ecology

A two-year study was conducted on an Alfisol in the humid tropics of southwest Nigeria to investigate the effects of tillage and intercropping on soil water characteristics, performance of maize (Zea mays L.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.). The experiment was a split-plot design with tillage methods as the main plot and intercropping as the sub-plots in a completely randomized design with four replications. Tillage treatments were conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) while the cropping treatments were sole maize, sole groundnut and intercropped maize + groundnut. Gravimetric soil water content (swgc) showed that NT had higher soil water content in all cropping treatments than CT. NT had significantly (p NT intercropping u003e CT intercropping u003e sole maize CT. For groundnut, the trend was NT sole groundnut u003e NT intercropped u003e CT sole groundnut u003e CT intercropped. Key words: Tillage, intercropping, soil water retention, infiltration.

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