Abstract
A study was carried out in the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, to identify a niche for growing green manure in the derived savannah of Nigeria. Two local cowpea varieties were grown on 20th and 27th of March and 3rd of April 2009; 10 th , 17 th and 24 th March, 2010 in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design. Open pollinated maize was planted as a test crop a week after incorporation of the green manure. Total biomass of cowpea was low in 2009 relative to 2010. Cowpea green manuring led to grain yield increase of succeeding maize by 92 -131 % and 43-124 % in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The erratic rains in mid March to first week in April could provide sufficient moisture for the growth of cowpea for green manure in this ecological zone and could ameliorate the effect of drought condition occasioned by climate change.
Highlights
Low yield of arable crops is a common occurrence in most production systems in the humid tropics (Schroth and Sinclair 2003); identified factors associated with this include incidences of pests and diseases, weed infestations, and low inherent soil fertility (Gachene et al, 2000, Ismaila et al, 2010)
Canopy height of cowpea was not significantly affected by dates of planting and cowpea varieties in 2009; on the other hand in 2010, canopy height was significantly affected by planting date both at 2 and 5 weeks after planting (WAP)
Planting of maize one week after incorporation of the green manure was found to be adequate under the present climate as compared with two weeks suggested in literatures
Summary
Low yield of arable crops is a common occurrence in most production systems in the humid tropics (Schroth and Sinclair 2003); identified factors associated with this include incidences of pests and diseases, weed infestations, and low inherent soil fertility (Gachene et al, 2000, Ismaila et al, 2010). Combined efforts directed towards ameliorating the fertility problem include use of bush fallowing, inclusion of legumes in crop rotation and as a component in cropping systems, use of inorganic fertilizers, and use of animal manure. Use of green manure is a means of mitigating the adverse effect of climate change and this is currently of both local and global concern. Green manuring can both serve to extend the period of soil cover as well as reduce the dependence on inorganic fertilizer. Climate-friendly agricultural practices focus on increasing the carbon content in soil (e.g. by using cover crops,) and minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers (responsible for nitrous oxide emissions); www.ccsenet.org/jas
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