Abstract
Productivity responses using organic approaches will assist to elucidate crop responses under different intercrop population levels. Experiments were conducted to determine the growth, yield and productivity responses of component crops in snake tomato/celosia mixtures to intercrop population and organic manure application rates. The 4 × 4 factorial experiment arranged in completely randomized design (CRD) was replicated three times. The snake tomato using potting media was cultivated in 2013 and 2014 at 100,000 plants/ha (one plant/pot) alongside intercrop celosia at three population levels of 100,000 (P1), 200,000 (P2) and 300,000 plant/ha (P3) (10, 20 and 30 plants/pot respectively) where sole crops (P0) served as control. The crop mixture was supplied with poultry manure (PM) at 5 (F1), 10 (F2) and 20 t/ha (F3) using the unfertilized (0 t/ha-F0) as control. The result showed that plants in “year II” had longer vines, thicker girth and more side-vines while those in “year I” had more leaves, more male/female flowers, longer and thicker fruit sizes and heavier fruit yield. Intercropping with celosia at P1 produced plants with thicker girth and more leaves, plants at P1 - P3 had more side-vines while all intercropped plots had more female flowers, but P1 had thicker fruit girth compared to sole crops. Plants with F3 had longer vine length, more leaves and more number of side-vines, more female flowers, longer fruits, thicker fruit girth and heavier fruit yield, but those with F1 or F3 had thicker girth compared to other rates while those with F2 had better productivity advantage with LER and ATER at >1.0. In conclusion, snake tomato and celosia in crop mixture were best with F2 and F3 respectively, although intercropping retarded growth and yield of the component crops but P1 was comparable with sole.
Highlights
Snake tomato (Trichosanthes cucumerina) is one among the many traditional food plants that have been widely documented as the major sources of nutrition for rural dwellers that cannot pay for milk and egg [1]
Higher values in relative yield total for snake tomato (RYTa) and for celosia (RYTb), and higher land equivalent ratio (LER), land equivalent coefficient (LEC), Area × Time Equivalent Ratio (ATER) values but lower relative crowding coefficient (RCC) value was obtained for sole compared to intercropped plots while intercrop population I, had lower negative value in aggressivity compared to other population levels and the sole (Table 4)
The crop mixture at intercrop population I was better compared to either II or III in growth while population II or III influenced plants to produce more male flowers which was regarded as a drain on crop growth resources, but all intercropped plots had more female flowers compared to control
Summary
Snake tomato (Trichosanthes cucumerina) is one among the many traditional food plants that have been widely documented as the major sources of nutrition for rural dwellers that cannot pay for milk and egg [1]. Studies on mixed cropping have indicated that intercropping systems despite the reduced individual crop performances of component crops [25] produced more overall yield because of more efficient utilization of environmental resources compared to sole cropping [22] [26]-[30], but is very advantageous in the maintenance of soil fertility through effective soil cover and amelioration of the environment [29]-[32]. Celosia competes better with weeds and tolerates dry soil better than other vegetable crops and it responds well to nutrients or fertilizer (organic) Organic agriculture includes such agricultural practices which utilize natural (non-synthetic) nutrient-cycling processes; that exclude or rarely use synthetic pesticides; to sustain or regenerate soil quality, like the use of cover crops, manures, compost, crop rotation, intercropping, and biological pest control [48]. The specific objectives include determination of the optimum intercrop population and best manure rate for a sustainable production system in snake tomato/celosia mixture
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