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Intercropped Maize and Cowpea Increased the Land Equivalent Ratio and Enhanced Crop Access to More Nitrogen and Phosphorus Compared to Cultivation as Sole Crops

2024Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorDimande, Paulo
dc.contributor.authorArrobas, Margarida
dc.contributor.authorRodrigues, M.A.
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-09T14:17:37Z
dc.date.available2024-05-09T14:17:37Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractSub-Saharan African smallholder farmers face challenges due to limited access to commercial fertilizers, affecting food security. Exploring the benefits of intercropping is promising, but evaluating crop performance in specific agroecological contexts is crucial. This study in Vilankulo, Mozambique, conducted over two growth seasons (2018 and 2019), aimed to assess the benefits of intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L., Walp) (M+C) compared to maize (M) and cowpea (C) as sole crops. Key variables for comparison included dry matter yield (DMY), land equivalent ratio (LER), competitive ratio (CR), tissue nutrient concentration, nutrient recovery, and apparent N fixation (ANF). This study also examined the effects on cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.), cultivated as a succeeding crop, and soil properties. In 2018, maize plants were severely affected by drought and did not produce grain. This year, cowpea grain yields were 2.26 and 1.35 t ha-1 when grown as sole crop or intercropped. In 2019, maize grain yield was 6.75 t ha-1 when intercropped, compared to 5.52 t ha-1 as a sole crop. Cowpea grain yield was lower when intercropped (1.51 vs. 2.25 t ha-1). LER values exceeded 1 (1.91 and 1.53 for grain and straw in 2019), indicating improved performance in intercropping compared to sole crops. In 2019, CR was 1.96 for maize grain and 0.58 for cowpea grain, highlighting the higher competitiveness of maize over cowpea. Cowpea exhibited higher average leaf nitrogen (N) concentration (25.4 and 37.6 g kg-1 in 2018 and 2019, respectively) than maize (13.0 and 23.7 g kg-1), attributed to its leguminous nature with access to atmospheric N, benefiting the growth of maize in intercropping and cabbage cultivated as a succeeding crop. Cowpea also appears to have contributed to enhanced phosphorus (P) absorption, possibly due to access to sparingly soluble P forms. In 2019, ANF in M+C was 102.5 kg ha-1, over 4-fold higher than in C (25.0 g kg-1), suggesting maize accessed more N than could cowpea provide, possibly through association with endophytic diazotrophs commonly found in tropical grasses.pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorshipThe authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support from national funds FCT/MCTES, to CIMO (UIDB/AGR/00690/2020) and for Paulo Dimande’s doctoral scholarship (PRT/BD/152095/2021).pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.citationDimande, Paulo; Arrobas, Margarida; Rodrigues, M.A. (2024). Intercropped Maize and Cowpea Increased the Land Equivalent Ratio and Enhanced Crop Access to More Nitrogen and Phosphorus Compared to Cultivation as Sole Crops. Sustainability. EISSN 2071-1050. 16:4, p. 1-16pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/su16041440pt_PT
dc.identifier.eissn2071-1050
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/29741
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherMDPIpt_PT
dc.relationMountain Research Center
dc.relationGestão sustentável do solo em ambientes tropical e mediterrânico
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/pt_PT
dc.subjectZea mayspt_PT
dc.subjectVigna unguiculatapt_PT
dc.subjectIntercroppingpt_PT
dc.subjectSucceeding croppt_PT
dc.subjectCompetition ratiospt_PT
dc.subjectApparent nitrogen fixationpt_PT
dc.titleIntercropped Maize and Cowpea Increased the Land Equivalent Ratio and Enhanced Crop Access to More Nitrogen and Phosphorus Compared to Cultivation as Sole Cropspt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleMountain Research Center
oaire.awardTitleGestão sustentável do solo em ambientes tropical e mediterrânico
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F00690%2F2020/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/OE/PRT%2FBD%2F152095%2F2021/PT
oaire.citation.endPage16pt_PT
oaire.citation.issue4pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage1pt_PT
oaire.citation.titleSustainabilitypt_PT
oaire.citation.volume16pt_PT
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.fundingStreamOE
person.familyNameArrobas
person.familyNameRodrigues
person.givenNameMargarida
person.givenNameManuel Ângelo
person.identifier.ciencia-id971C-B85B-1EC0
person.identifier.ciencia-id371D-DF0D-8D68
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-4652-485X
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-5367-1129
person.identifier.ridO-1721-2016
person.identifier.scopus-author-id8575728800
person.identifier.scopus-author-id35270106800
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationd057ae6b-331c-4980-967d-0ce4fe1bcf8a
relation.isAuthorOfPublication43621353-fa11-4559-9b24-27eba5ad3de0
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery43621353-fa11-4559-9b24-27eba5ad3de0
relation.isProjectOfPublication29718e93-4989-42bb-bcbc-4daff3870b25
relation.isProjectOfPublication21920e18-fac2-4995-aa7c-8a63e560c5d8
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery21920e18-fac2-4995-aa7c-8a63e560c5d8

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