Abstract
Abstract Cogongrass is a difficult weed to control in small-scale farming systems and often causes significant crop yield reduction. Field experiments were conducted from 1996 to 1999 at three sites located in the forest/savanna transition zone of Nigeria to determine the influence of intercropping cover crops on cogongrass, corn, and cassava growth. Total cogongrass biomass (shoots and rhizomes) at the onset of the study was highest at Ijaiye (889 g m−2), followed by Umumba (445 g m−2), and least in Ezillo (138 g m−2). Velvetbean had the highest percent ground cover at Umumba and Ijaiye (67 to 89%) 10 wk after planting and shaded the ground longer at all locations. Twelve months after planting, plots with cover crops had 66, 71, and 52% lower cogongrass biomass than the weedy control without cover crops at Ijaiye, Umumba, and Ezillo, respectively. Velvetbean at all locations, L. purpureus at Ijaiye, and tropical kudzu at Umumba and Ezillo were the cover crops most effective in reducing rhizome biomass of...
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