Abstract
ABSTRACTAn assessment of the competitive indices in intercropping between cassava (Manihot esculenta) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) was conducted with the aim of increasing the productivity of these crops. For this purpose, three farmers preferred landraces of cassava (yacé, blêbou and six mois) and three morphotypes of gourd (dark green and round fruit, light green and round fruit, light green and long fruit) were used to test the three intercropping ratios (gourd:cassava with 6:42, 6:24 and 6:18). Intercropping systems were assessed by land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER), relative crowding coefficient (K), actual yield loss (AYL), aggressivity (A) and competition ratio (CR). LER, ATER and K values were greater than 1 for gourd-cassava (6:24). These findings indicate an advantage of intercropping for exploiting the resources of the environment. Cassava clones were more competitive than gourd component.
Highlights
The development of cropping system adapted to climate change and meeting the nutritional and economic requirements of the local populations is a major challenge for scientists, political decision-makers and the organisms of development aid
multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that bottle gourd and cassava crop, and sowing density had a significant (P < .05) effect on both bottle gourd dried seed yield and competitive indices
The results showed that the variation (P < .05) of aggressivity (A) and competitive ratio (CR) depended on the configuration of the intercropping systems (Table 6)
Summary
The development of cropping system adapted to climate change and meeting the nutritional and economic requirements of the local populations is a major challenge for scientists, political decision-makers and the organisms of development aid. In the context of the reduction of cultivable lands, it is fundamental to achieve sustainable intercropping systems, thereby optimizing the efficient utilization of available growth resources (Hauggaard-Nielsen et al 2001). The success of such investigations is strongly linked to several factors, among which crop husbandry and varieties or cultivars are the prerequisites. A part from these economic, nutritional and cultural roles, bottle gourd serves as living mulch against weeds (Mandumbu & Karavina 2012) and reduces the time devoted by farmer to weeding Cropping this species represents a reliable solution against soil erosion. An optimized mixed-cropping system involving cassava and bottle gourd should be an efficient approach to solve the problem of food and economic needs of an important part of populations from the tropical world
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