Abstract
Two trials were conducted in a glasshouse in Ibadan to investigate the performance and competitive abilities of three tropical leafy vegetables Amaranthus hybridus, Celosia argentea and Corchorus olitorius, grown in pure stands and in mixtures. Shoot and root fresh and dry weight per plant, plant height and root length were determined. Two competition functions, relative crowding coefficient and aggressivity, were used to estimate competitive abilities in mixtures. A. hybridus, identified as a C-4 plant, was the most aggressive species and performed better in mixtures than under sole cropping. Celosia was slightly more competitive than Corchorus, but appeared more compatible with Corchorus than with Amaranth. However there were indications from land equivalent ratio (LER) calculations that the vegetable grower saves more land by intercropping three vegetable species (LER = 3.8) than two (LER 2.0–2.5). This vegetable grower may harvest more Amaranth than the other two vegetable species.
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