Mono Cropping Research Articles

English

Cassava production seems to be economically viable but there seems to exist no empirical documented evidence to this effect in Ika North East L.G.A of Delta State, Nigeria. In view of this, the study analyzed the economic and technical efficiency of cassava production in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. A multistage random sampling was used to select a total of 120 respondents used for the study. Data used for the study was from primary source, which was collected using a well structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data based on the objective of the study. The result obtained showed that females (52.5%) are more than males. Majority (50%) of the respondents are married with an average household size of 6. The result further showed that the farmers were in their middle age (42 years) and had acquired reasonable years of farming experience of 10 years. More than half of the farmers had attended formal educational and earn average annual income of N180,000.00. The production systems practiced by the farmers was mono cropping. Cassava production was profitable in the area with a profit margin of N200,400.00 per a hectare. The Benefit Cost Ratio shows that in every N1.00k invested by farmers, N1.00k was realized as profit. The multiple regression result showed R2 value of 0.833 or 83.3%. The coefficients of farm size, labour and cassava stem were positively signed. Farm size, labour, fertilizer and cassava cuttings were underutilized because their efficiency index was greater than one. The cassava farmers identified some of the factors that constrained their farming activities to include: lack of access to credit, high cost of transportation, poor extension services, among others. Based on the findings, it is therefore recommended that farmers should organize themselves into cooperative societies so as to access credit; viable extension service should be provided bridge the extension need of the farmers and effective transportation system to ease evacuation of cassava produce to urban centre where the demands are high. Key words: Costs and returns, profitability, production system, constraints, input/output.

INFLUENCE OF MONOCROPPING AND INTERCROPPING SYSTEMS BETWEEN PARA RUBBER AND OIL PALM PLANTATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF PHLAI

A study was conducted on the effects of spacing of intercropping system of planting Phlai (Zingiber cassumunar), between the 4-5 year-old RRIT 251 Para rubber and oil palm plantations, and mono cropping. The research focusing on observations of rhizomes’s height, germination, size, weight and yield of Phlai which was cultivated at Sithibhon Krisdagara Research Station, Prachuapkhirikhan Province in 2009-2011. The intercropping system between Phlai and Para rubber displayed the most significant difference at 3 and 6 months after planting. The measurements were height of stem (66.45 and 90.06 cm); size of rhizome (width (11.72 cm), length (20.91 cm) and average (16.32 cm); weight of rhizome (0.28 kg) and yield (17,611.25 kg ha-1), respectively. The mono cropping and the intercropping with oil palms showed the least rhizomes size (width (8.01 cm); length (13.83 cm) and average (10.92 cm), weight of rhizome (0.10 kg) and yield (4077.5 kg ha-1), respectively. Both the mono cropping and intercropping systems used the same spacing at 25×50, 50×50, 25×75, 50×75 and 75× cm did not affect the germination percentage and showed the same characters. Furthermore there was no interaction between the cultivated Phlai system and spacing on the same characters.

Recent Increased Incidences of Potato Late Blight on the Jos Plateau: A Case for Intercropping

Potato cultivation on the Jos Plateau is a multi-Billion Naira enterprise which is on the very brink of collapse due to upsurge in the incidences and severity of late blight a disease caused by Phytophtora infestans (Mont) DeBary. This paper highlighted the scope of the spread of this scourge by assessing the magnitude of loses due to the disease in four zones of the potato growing region of the Jos Plateau- Bokkos, Ampang, Heipang and Vwang. The production parameters studied were the land area under potato, average yield, proportion of potato produced through sole/mono cropping, severity of the late blight epidemic and the level of adaptation of the new varieties imported from Europe the Americas and Australia. The results revealed that Bokkos was the most important potato growing area in terms of total land area, adoption of new planting materials, and sole/mono cropping system of production. The incidences and severity of the potato late blight was most serious in Bokkos, followed by Ampang, Heipang and Vwang in that order. The average yield of potato tubers (kg/ha) was highest in Ampang and least in Heipang. A brief view of the weather reports from these areas shows erratic patterns of rainfall and rise in temperature which may be attributed to the general climate change. A major trend observed in the weather report is the increase in early rainfall (March-April) which farmers tend to explore for early planting with severe consequences. The increasing tendency to adopt mono cropping by out growers for the multinational seed and other Agro-based companies was highlighted and the attendant risks involved while making a case for mixed/inter cropping. Other benefits suggested for inter cropping were higher resource use efficiencies, security against total crop lost, reduction in the use of pesticides to control diseases and pests as well as favorable environmental effects like shading, erosion control and suppressing weeds.

Spatial assessment of soil quality indicators under different agricultural land uses

The physical, chemical and biological properties of a soil define soil quality which is fundamental for soil fertility. The objective of this study was to assess the spatial variability of these soil properties under four different agricultural land uses. The experiment was conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training,(IAR&T), Nigeria.The land uses evaluated were mono cropping system with cocoa, grazed land, fallow land and a mixed cropping system (horticulture). Samples were taken randomly at each location consisting of 25 georeferenced points each, and bulked to form 5 composite samples for each location.The result showed that the surface soil textures are loamy sand except for the cocoa plantation soils which was sand, all the soils showed alkalinity, ranging from a pHof 7.43 to 8.09. Total Nitrogen ranged from 1.16-1.81kg/ha, Available P ranged from 0.51-1.40 kg/ha while potassium ranged from 0.15-0.25 Cmol/kg. Average microbial biomass C was from 129.18 to 200.04μgCg -1 while the average microbial biomass N was from 12.74 to 19.84 μgNg- 1 . Soil surface maps generated indicate that the soils are deficient in characteristics required for optimal

Maize yield response to crop rotation, farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizer application in Western Ethiopia

Continuous cropping with inorganic inputs has limitations in terms of maintaining long-term soil fertility. However, crop rotation integrated with fertilizer application is one of the cheapest alternative methods for sustainable crop production. In recognition of this fact, the experiment was conducted at Bako in western Ethiopia with the objective of identifying the best precursor crops and optimum integration of farm yard manure and inorganic fertilizer in a maize based rotation sequence. Two separate trials with different precursor crops were combined with three rates of organic manure and three rates of inorganic fertilizer NP2O5. The experimental design was 3×3×3 factorial arrangement in randomized complete block design in three replications. Inclusion of precursor crops markedly increased maize yield as compared to mono crops. The highest grain yield was obtained when haricot beans and Niger seed were the precursor crops. Application of 12 t ha-1 FYM after precursor crops resulted in grain yield of 9.3 t ha-1 and a marginal rate of return 225%. However, continuous incorporation of manure after precursor crops did not significantly (P>0.05) increase the yield. Application of 89/-35 kg ha-1 NP2O5 after legume maize rotation gave a grain yield and the highest marginal rate of return (236%). Haricot bean, Niger seed followed by application of either 12 t ha-1FYM or 89-35NP2O5 kg ha-1 is a better option for sustainable maize production than continuous mono cropping. As conclusion, haricot bean, Niger seed and Soybean can be used as precursor crops with use of either 12 t ha-1 of FYM or 89/35 kg ha-1NP2O5. Key words: Crop rotation, organic and inorganic fertilizer, precursor crops, maize.

Assessment of soil loss and nutrient depletion due to cassava harvesting: A case study from low input traditional agriculture

Cassava is a major food crop for farmers and especially small holder farmers and cultivated under low input other than the irrigation. It is cultivated as mono crop or intercrop at early stage and cultivating throughout the year. It is harvested carefully because of cyanogenic glucosides and consumed with in day. Easy and un-damageable uprooting of the tuber mainly depends on soil moisture, texture and agronomic practices. The study was focused with the objectives of the assessment of soil loss due to the harvesting of cassava roots tubers under low input agriculture, and to estimate the amount of plant nutrients loss due to crop harvest for cassava. Also the observation was made the correlation between the soil loss and physical characters of the tuber, soil texture and agronomic practices. Average plant specific soil loss due to crop harvesting was 80. 7 g root−1 and crop specific soil loss due to crop harvesting was 7. 64 kg ha−1 harvest−1 loss in Valliagmam area in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Soil moisture content at harvesting time was a significant factor that explained the variations in the soil lost at cassava harvesting. Soil moisture has linear positive relationship with average plant specific soil loss due to crop harvesting. Soil nutrient loss during cassava harvesting by removal of adhering soil with root tuber was 1. 15 kg of N, 1. 99 kg of P and 2. 91 kg of K ha−1 harvest−1. Application of fertilizer is important since considerable amount nutrient loss was observed due to soil loss due to crop harvest.

Tillage and nitrogen fertilization effects on yield and nitrogen use efficiency of irrigated cotton

Management practices may influence yield and nitrogen (N) use efficiency of irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in irrigated arid lands such as those of the Aral Sea basin. A field experiment was conducted to compare the effects of conservation tillage (permanent raised beds; PB) with conventional plow tillage (CT) under three different N application rates (0, 125 and 250kgha−1) on cotton growth, yield, N use efficiency and N balance in irrigated arid lands of Uzbekistan for two years. Raw cotton yield and yield components were not affected by tillage methods in both years. However, yield and yield components significantly increased when N fertilizer rate was increased from zero to 125kgha−1N application. When the N rate was doubled from 125 to 250kgha−1, a relatively much lower increment was observed in both tillage methods. The groundwater nitrate concentration was reduced considerably, while efficiency of applied N was increased in 2009, i.e., after introduction of the cover crop in the cotton mono cropping system, compared to 2008. The efficiency of the applied N decreased with increased N application rate. Tillage method did not affect agronomic N use efficiency in both years. However, in the 2nd year, apparent N recovery efficiency was higher in PB than in CT, while physiological N use efficiency with N-250 was 54% lower in PB than in CT. The apparent system N balance was negative with N-0 and N-125, but positive (N loss) with high N application (250kgha−1) with both tillage methods. A significant interaction effect between tillage and N level was observed; with N-0, CT had a 32% higher negative N balance than PB. With N-250, CT had a significantly higher positive N balance (N loss), more than twice as high (66kgha−1) as for PB. Thus, cotton cultivation in PB with proper N application and the introduction of a winter cover crop can be considered a viable alternative to the present unsustainable CT cotton mono-cropping system in irrigated arid lands, assuming the patterns are confirmed in the long-run.

Intercropping Barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) and Lentil (Lens culinaris L.): Yield and Intercropping Advantages

Effect of intercropping of lentil with barley was studied at Department of Agronomy, University of Zabol, on a sandy loam soil during autumn 2011 growing season in order to determine biological and economical yield of barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) mixed with lentil (Lens culinaris L) cultivar mono cropped or intercropped in replacement series design. The treatments were compared in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with five levels of row intercropping that was included: sole barley (6 row barley), 4 row barely + 2 row lentil, 4 row lentil + 2 row barley, 3 row barley + 3 row lentil and sole lentil (6 row lentil) in three replication. Results indicated that intercropping system affected many characteristics such as plant height, biological and economical yield. Intercropped barley with lentil was far more effective than mono crop barley to produce yield and land equivalent ratio. The highest of LER for economical yield was obtained at 3 row barley + 3 row lentil (2.61) and the least of LER was obtained by 2 row barley + 4 row lentils. The results were shown that for get maximum production barely should be sown as an intercrop to lentil and the best treatment was It 3 row barley + 3 row lentils in sistan region. Thus It can be concluded that mixture were advantageous compared to both sole crops of barley and lentil.

Weed Biology and Ecology: - A Key to Successful Weed Management and Control

Weed biology is related to the study of weeds in relation to their geographical distribution, habitat, growth, population dynamics and communities. On the other hand, ecology is the interrelationship between or- ganisms and their environment. Weed ecology is thus concerned with growth characteristics and adaptations that enable weeds to survive changes in the environment. The environment includes climatic, edaphic and biotic factors and it determines the distribution, prevalence, competing ability, behavior and survival of the weeds. Development of an appropriate and effective weed management program is dependent on the sound knowledge of weed biology and ecology i.e. a thorough knowledge regarding propagation, dispersal, behavior, survival and persistence behavior of weeds. Man plays an important role in changing the environment by altering the crop husbandry practices and by managing weed-free mono crop or multi crop cultures. Mono crop culturesu- tilize moisture, nutrients and light available for plant growth in a way different from multi crop cultures and this influences the ecological requirements for weed growth, behavior, competition and survival. The various as- pects related to weed biology and ecology are discuss in this paper and the importance of weed biology in weed control have been reviewed in the paper. The discussion on weed biology may sometime overlap weed ecology.

Adaptability of maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes to intercropping in tropical Asian seasons

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most popular highland cereal in South Asia, and hybrids are being promoted to enhance yields. Thus, a field study evaluated the growth and yields of two hybrid and two open-pollinated varieties in two major (wet) and minor (dry) seasons of Sri Lanka, when grown as a mono crop and when intercropped with mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]. The growth and yields of the hybrids were greater under both mono and mixed crop conditions in the major seasons, while the performance of open-pollinated varieties was significantly superior in the minor seasons, when the crops are subjected to moisture stress due to lower rainfall. The potential of using different types of maize for smallholder cropping in South Asia in the two seasons is presented.

Green Revolution Revisited: The Contemporary Agrarian Situation in Punjab, India

The Green Revolution was India’s first industrial agricultural revolution that replaced the traditional farming system completely. But the adverse consequences of Green Revolution in the form of stagnation in production aggravated the problems of the farmers in the era of post-Green Revolution in 1980s and 1990s. The late 1990s witnessed an emergency of debt-driven suicides and rapid indebtedness that had taken hold of the countryside across the nation. Being the epicentre, the Green Revolution in Punjab did not sustain for a long time, as it started losing its charm and was followed by a series of ‘crises’, especially in its economy and environment. The farmers in Punjab are facing a severe problem with stagnation in production due to vast cereal-based mono cropping (mainly wheat-rice cycle) instead of multiple cropping, abandoning other crops like pulses, mustard, vegetables, and so on. Besides the practice of monoculture, the application of expensive chemicals (like fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides, and so on), over-mechanisation, labour and irrigation eventually increased the input cost of cultivation manifolds. Due to this high input costs of cultivation, farmers resorted to various formal (like banks, cooperatives, and so on) and informal (like local moneylenders or arhtiyas, who are commission agents in the grain markets) credit institutions for borrowing money. But due to repeated stagnation, the net output and subsequent profit margin reduced drastically. As a result, farmers could not repay the loan and eventually got entrapped into the vicious cycle of debt. On the other hand, after the liberalised economic policy of the government, the farmers received marginal importance and they could not cope up with the free and open market system. As a result, the incidence of indebtedness increased at an alarming rate. To get rid of indebtedness, many farmers across the state committed suicide. On the basis of empirical data, the present article will show the real picture of the contemporary agrarian situation in India’s most-developed state, Punjab.

Productivity and Economics of Brinjal (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) Groundnut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i> L.) Intercropping

The productivity and economic efficiency of brinjal ( Solanum melongena L.) groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropping was assessed at the Agronomy farm of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka during 2007/2008. This experiment was designed in a Randomized Complete Block Design with five treatments, each replicated three times. The planting pattern comprised brinjal as mono crop with the spacing of 90 cm × 60 cm (T1), groundnut as mono crop with the spacing of 45 cm × 30 cm (T2), alternative planting of brinjal at 90 cm × 60 cm and groundnut at 90 cm × 30 cm (T3), 60/150 cm paired row planting of brinjal with two rows of groundnut in between paired rows (T4) and 75/120 cm paired row planting of brinjal with one row of groundnut in between paired rows (T5). Yields of both plants were measured at harvest. Also, land equivalent ratio, gross return, net return, cost-benefit ratio and monetary equivalent ratio were calculated as per standard equations. The results revealed that compared to monocropping brinjal yield, T4 gave 38% additional yield followed by T3 (20%). Maximum Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was recorded in T4 (1.57) and minimum LER was recorded in T5 (1.31). Gross return and cost - benefit ratio were increased by 50.69% and 47.35% respectively in T4 compared to T1. And also monetary equivalent ratio (1.49) was higher in T4. All intercropping system gave substantially high net income over monocropping. As compared to brinjal monocropping, net income has been increased by 60.62% in T4 followed by T3 (50.86%). This experiment showed that 60/150 cm paired row planting of brinjal with two rows of groundnut in between paired rows (T4) would be the most suitable planting system to enhance land use efficiency and increase the income in sandy regosol. Key words: Cost-benefit ratio; gross return; land equivalent ratio; monetary equivalent ratio; net return. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jfa.v2i1.3936 JFA 2009; 2(1): 1-7

Agronomic and Economic Comparisons of Double-Crop and Relay-Intercropping Systems of Peanut with Wheat

The climatic conditions of the southeastern US may allow multiple cropping systems of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to be a sustainable approach toward crop production. The objectives of this project were to determine the agronomic, economic, and weed control viability of double-crop (DC) and relay-intercropping (RI) systems of peanut with wheat. Eight cropping systems including variations of DC, RI, and monocrop (MC) management as main-plots and a sub-plot effect of three peanut cultivars were assessed. Studies were conducted in Tifton, GA, in 2009 and 2011 and Plains, GA, in 2010 and 2011. Differences among yield, grade and Tomato spotted wilt virus (Tospovirus) (TSWV) incidence were significant among cropping systems and genotypes. Double-crop peanut with wheat yielded greater than the RI systems. Georgia-06G and Tifguard had improved results over Georgia Green. Sufficient weed control was attained across all treatments in 2010 and 2011 but not in the RI plots in 2009. Income above variable cost (IAVC) for the DC ($938 to $1875/ha) systems exceeded the potential of RI ($408 to $1210/ha) and most MC ($36 to $1671/ha) treatments. Growers interested in producing peanuts and wheat in the same year would be at an advantage to use a DC system.

Increased productivity of rainfed lowland rice cropping systems of the Mekong region

Rice in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (the Mekong region) is grown mostly as a mono crop once a year in the wet season in the rainfed lowlands. Some lowland areas have access to irrigation water, and rice double cropping is practised while non-rice crops are grown in a limited area in the dry season after harvesting wet season rice. In all cases wet season rice is grown mostly for subsistence under rainfed with low input, and combined with low soil fertility and frequent occurrence of drought, the yield is generally low with a mean of 2.5 t/ha and the yield increase was slow in recent years. More recently demand for labour in the regional centres has caused labour shortages in the rural area and rice crops may not be managed in the traditional manner such as the practice of manually transplanting of rice seedlings. For the last two decades research efforts have been made to minimise the adverse effect of abiotic factors and to meet the changing nature of the socioeconomic environment, resulting in increased understanding of factors determining productivity of rainfed lowland rice and the cropping systems based on it. This review describes such achievements in five sections – water environment characterisation to quantify drought problems, soil environment and fertiliser management, direct seeding to develop technology to cope with the labour shortage, variety improvement for rainfed lowland rice in drought-prone environment, and crop intensification and diversification that shift practices from traditional subsistence agriculture to more market-oriented agriculture. Each section is concluded with issues for future research need. The last section of the paper describes future research challenges for the rainfed rice-based lowland cropping systems in the Mekong region and possible implication on rainfed lowland rice system on other regions.

Intercropping barley with pea for agronomic and economic considerations in northern Ontario

Intercropping, a mix of non-legume and legume crops, can improve crop yield and/or economic returns and reduce input costs. Field experiments (barley-pea intercrop) were conducted in 2008, 2010 and 2011 on an Oskondoga silt loam soil at Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, to determine the effect of intercropping barley (non-legume) and pea (legume) on grain yield, land equivalency ratio (LER), grain quality (protein concentration-PC), N uptake and economic returns. Barley and pea were grown as mono crops and in combinations as intercrops (both in the same row/and alternate rows). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at 0, 40 and 80 kg·N·ha-1 to mono crop barley and at 0, 20 and 40 kg·N·ha-1 to barley-pea intercrop combinations. On an average of three years, application of 80 kg·N·ha-1 increased grain yield of barley by 846 kg·ha-1 as a sole crop and by 420 - 488 kg·ha-1 in the two intercropping combinations. Compared to barley and pea as sole crops, grain yield with barley-pea intercropping was greater by 266 kg·ha-1 with alternate row combination and by 223 kg·ha-1when both crops were grown in the same row. The LER values suggested 7% - 17% less land requirement for barley-pea intercropping than sole crops. Net returns from barley-pea intercropping without applied N greatly improved ($854 - $939 ha-1) compared to barley sole crop with 80 kg·N·ha-1($628 ha-1), although the net returns were highest for pea grown as a sole crop without applied N ($1141 ha-1). For barley as a sole crop, PC in grain increased with applied N. Compared to barley as sole crop with zero-N, PC in barley grain increased when barley was intercropped with pea. In barley-pea intercrop treatments, application of N fertilizer had no significant effect on PC in barley grain, although PC in pea grain was much higher than PC in barley grain. The response trends of total N uptake in grain were similar to grain yield. The findings suggest that pea or barley-pea intercropping could be an option for organic farming systems.

Development of Nutritious Ice Creams from Soy Milk and Pumpkin Seeds Milk and Evaluation of their Acceptability and Nourishing Potential

Today humanity is facing a daunting challenge. The natural resources, both on land and water, are increasingly in demand to cater to the human needs and expectations. In order to feed the burgeoning population of India and to attain food security, the mission oriented efforts for increasing food productivity and its sustainability through advanced agro and biotechnological means are to be ventured. However, problems of climate change, biodiversity, desertification, water depletion, pollutants and toxicants, etc are being manifested, which in turn are becoming unfriendly to plant, animal and human health. There is an urgent need for developing methods to alleviate the environmental disorders in order to boost crop productivity. Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, by recognising that it contains biological elements that are key to the ecosystem function within land use boundaries. Food security is defined as the state when people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Future global environment change such as increased climate variability, land degradation and loss of biodiversity, in the context of social, political and economic changes, may bring unprecedented stress on the food production system and food security. Soil health management, however, can play a significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation to reduce the vulnerability of Indian agriculture. Although worldwide there are clearly enormous number of people to feed, the high yields associated with mono cropping are not worth the long-term environmental and health costs of using fossil fuels and degradation of soil with chemical inputs. Integrated nutrient management, organic farming, biofertilisers, bioremediation, biocontrol and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are important means for optimising crop production on both short term and long term basis to achieve sustainable production without deterioration of the environment and at the same time maintain the soil fertility.

현장사례를 통한 밭 작부의 질소와 인산양분 수지 평가

밭작물의 양분효율 증진을 도모코자 몇몇 지역의 대표작물을 중심으로 행해지는 작부유형을 조사하고 이의 작부유형별 양분수지를 분석하였다. 해남, 무안의 경우 마늘,양파 및 월동배추의 동작물과 콩, 참깨 등 시비량이 적은 하작물의 작부가 많았으며, 반면 평창은 배추를 년 간 2기작 재배 또는 봄 감자-가을배추 또는 무 재배가 전형적인 작부로 하작물 위주였다. 고추재배가 중심인 안동과 영양은 고추단작 그리고 고추-콩 또는 참깨가 주요 작부 유형이었으며, 중서부 해안지역인 홍성과 서산은 타 지역에 비해 비교적 작부유형이 다양한 편이였다. 작부유형별 양분수지는 배추를 1년 2기작 재배할 경우 질소 및 인산수지 모두 가장 높게 평가되어 환경적, 경제적 측면을 고려할 때 불리한 작부유형으로 나타났다. Cropping system is very important for environment conservation and improvement of nutrient recovery rates in agricultural land. This case study was conducted to identify the nutrient balance of major upland cropping types with different districts. Typical cropping systems at MuAn and HaeNam located in the south coast district were cultivated with soybean-chinese cabbage or garlic and garlic-soybean-chinese cabbage-hot pepper. Alpine district, PyeongChang was cultivated with double cropping of chinese cabbage and potato-radish or chinese cabbage for one year. Typical cropping type of AnDong, YeongYang where are well known for hot pepper cultivation was hot pepper's mono cropping and hot pepper-soybean or hot pepper-sesame for one year. But SeoSan and HongSeong, where are located in mid-west coast had variety cropping system compareed to other districts. Double cropping of chinese cabbage, a heavy fertilizing crop, caused higher nutrient balance in the field when it was cultivated consistently. Experiment showed that heavy fertilizing crops, such as chinese cabbage, garlic and onion, need to be rotated with soybean and sesame cultivation which need smaller fertilizer level. Alpine arable land has shown higher nutrient balance than other areas, and the introduction of rotation crops are needed to reduce nutrient balance and environmental protection.

Effects of broccoli-crispy salad intercropping on yield and quality under greenhouse conditions

This research was conducted to determine the effects of intercropping system of broccoli-crispy salad on the yield, quality characteristics, and land equivalent ratio (LER) by comparing alone broccoli and crispy salad cultivation under greenhouse conditions in the autumn of 2006 and 2007. According to results of this study, the highest values in investigated criteria were found in mono cropping. The highest total yield of broccoli was obtained with 1.67 and 2.46 kg m-2 in mono cropping, respectively in the autumn of 2006 and 2007. Similarly, the highest total yield of crispy salad was established with 5.93 and 3.36 kg m-2 in mono cropping, respectively in the autumn 2006 and 2007. LER was found to be greater than 1 in broccoli and crispy salad combination for both periods. The highest value of LER was determined to be 1.64% in autumn 2007 period. Key words: Broccoli, crispy salad, greenhouse, yield, quality, intercropping, colour measurements.

Intercropping of maize (Zea mays L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) at different plant population densities.

In order to determine the best combination and efficiency of resource utilization in intercropping of maize (Zea mays) and faba bean (Vicia faba), a field experiment was conducted as factorial on the bases of randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were intercropped combinations of maize densities (6, 7 and 8 plant/m2) and faba bean densities (30, 40 and 50 plant/m2) and 6 sole-cropped treatments. Two species were intercropped as additive series. The biological and grain yields of maize and faba bean were significantly affected by maize and faba bean densities. Maximum land equivalent ratio (1.97) was attained by 6 maize plants/m2 with 40 and 50 plants/m2 of faba bean intercropping combinations indicating that the area on which monocultures were planted would need to be 97% greater than the area allotted to the intercrop for the two produced the same combined grain yield. The highest standard land equivalent ratio (LERs) produced by intercropping of 8 maize plants with 50 faba bean plants/m2. Maximum RVT (1.31) was obtained in maize and faba bean intercropping with 8 maize and 50 faba bean plants/m2. Whereas, intercropping monetary advantage in comparison with mono cropping was 30%. The combination of 8 maize and 50 faba bean plants/m2 showed the highest profitability and could be introduced as best intercropping system. Key words: Faba bean, grain yield, intercropping, land equivalent ratio, maize

Economic analysis of variables affecting the plantain (<i>Musa sp</i>) mono cropping system of production by small-scale farmers in central Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined variables affecting plantain (Musa sp) mono cropping system of production by small – scale farmers in Central Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from a random sample of 120 respondents in the study area by means of structured and semi- structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The result revealed that doublelog (Cobb-Douglas) production function is the lead equation because it had the highest R2 value of 0.38. The regression analysis revealed that farm size, fertilizer, visits by extension agents, labour, and credit has positive influence on output of plantain produced in Central Cross River State at a 5 percent level of significance. The F-value of 15.24 for the function is significant at 5 percent, indicating a significant linear relationship between the independent variables taken together and the yield of plantain produced in Central Cross River State. The study also revealed that plantain farmers are faced with several problems. These constraints affect the efficiency of plantain production in the study area. Notable among them are the constraint of inadequate land, low fertility of land, land fragmentation, wrong application of fertilizer, high cost of fertilizers, lack of education and training, high cost of improved suckers and lack of extension contact occupied 43.33%, 37.5%, 42.5%, 79.17%, 81.67%, 99.17%, 96.67% and 100% respectively on respondents constraints profile. The constraints associated with plantain production in the study area, if tackled, could pave a way to increase production and farm income of stakeholders.Hence, for efficient production of plantain in the study area, these constraints must be reduced to the barest minimum. This can be done through good policy formulation and implementation, proper supervision of plantain production programmes, effective extension services and proper agricultural financing.Key words: Econometric analysis, constraints, plantain production, Farm income