The use of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) as a source of yield increase in sustainable alley cropping system

Abstract

The use of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) as an aid for yield increase in sustainable alley cropping system was investigated in this study at different sites within the same region in Nigeria. The results show that alley cropping improved cassava yield more than fertilizer application. It was found that either Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) or inorganic fertilizer can be substituted for each other when cassava is alley-cropped with Cajanus cajan (L. Millsp). In cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) and cowpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp), Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) inoculation significantly increased the crop yield more than the uninoculated treatment. Cassava mulched with the leguminous shrub had very low yield (T3) compared to the one with AM treatment (T2). But when inorganic fertilizer was added (T1), the yield was better than T3. However, T2 yielded more than other treatments, without application of inorganic fertilizer, Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) made the locked up nutrients in the soil available to the plants and enhanced N-fixation of the plants.