Influence of Intercropping on the Incidence, Abundance and Severity of Pest Damage on Okro Abelmoschus esculentus (Linn.) Moench (Malvaceae) and Chilli Pepper Capsicum frutescens Linn. (Solanaceae)

Abstract

Okro and Peppper were intercropped in a randomised complete block design with three replicates to assess the effect of this on the population of several insect pest of Okro. Five pests of Okro were recorded: Podagrica uniforma; Podagrica sjostedti; Oxycarenus hyalipennis; Cosmophila flava and Dysdercus superstitiosus. However, there were no significant difference in the population of these insects between Okro sole crop and Okro/Pepper intercrop. The insects occur in almost 1:1 ratio in both cropping system, but fruit damage in Okro/Pepper intercrop was significantly reduced by 50% in comparison to fruit damage in the sole crop Okro. The fruit yield in Okro sole crop (27.903kg) was not significantly different from the total yield of fruits in the companion crops (18.605kg) in the Okro/Pepper intercrop. Productivity of the crops assessed in the terms of Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) gave a yield of 0.97.