International Journal of Horticulture 2016, Vol.6, No.1, 1
-
7
2
intercrops on growth and yield of pineapple in a
pineapple-pepper-cowpea based intercropping system.
2 Materials and Methods
Experiments were conducted at two locations in Akure
(Lat: 7
o
14
Ꞌ
N and long: 5
o
11
Ꞌ
E), a humid rainforest
zone of Nigeria during the rainy and late seasons of
2011 and 2012. The meteorological data of the study
area revealed a bimodal rainfall distribution pattern
with highest rainfall recorded in 2012 as shown in
Table 1. Composite soil samples of the experimental
sites were analyzed and result presented in Table 2.
The rainy-season planting experiments were
conducted at the Experimental Station of the Federal
College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), while the
late-season planting experiments were conducted at
the Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University
of Technology, Akure.
Table 1 Monthly rainfall at Akure during the period of the experiments (mm)
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May.
Jun.
Jul.
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
De
c.
2011
3.2
87
49.6
66.9
133.6
128.3
190.5
197.4
230
204
45
0
2012
13.8
64.8
56.8
115.6
131
229.7
192
164.9
303.3
214.5
69.2
42
2013
43.6
52.9
141.8
182.7
168.3
154.7
168.4
67.2
210.9
160.5
154.8
40.
7
Table 2 Pre-cropping soil physical and chemical properties at Federal College of Agriculture Akure (FECA) and Federal University
of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in 2011 and 2012
pH(H
2
0)
OM
N
Av. P
Exchangeable bases (mol/kg)
Particle size analysis (%) Textural
class
g/kg
g/kg
K
Na
Ca
Mg
Sand Silt
Clay
FECA 2011 5.13
14.8
1
15.33
0.12
0.1
1.6
1.2
560
300
140
Sandy clay
loam
FECA 2012 6.05
26.6
1.8
33.52
0.31
0.36
0.9
0.6
520
330
150
Sandy clay
loam
FUTA 2011
5.75
28.5
2.2
7.19
0.46
0.42
2
1.1
560
290
150
Sandy clay
loam
FUTA 2012 6.12
29.3
2
39.59
0.34
0.38
2.4
1.2
530
320
150
Sandy clay
loam
Four experiments based on additive series
intercropping system adopted pineapple as the main
crop with pepper and cowpea as the minor intercrop
components. The experiments designed to evaluate the
effect of varying the time of sowing cowpea into
pineapple-pepper based intercropping system were
laid out as a randomized complete block design with
three replications and cowpea were sown into
pineapple-pepper intercrops at three-week intervals in
addition to pineapple-pepper intercrop alone and sole
crop components (pineapple, pepper and cowpea).
In the rainy-season planting experiments, cowpea
were sown into pineapple-pepper intercrops
simultaneously with the transplanting of pepper into
pineapple and at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after transplanting
(WAT) pepper seedlings into pineapple in addition to
pineapple-pepper intercrop alone cowpea and the sole
crops of pineapple, pepper and cowpea. The
late-season planting comprised sowing cowpea at the
time of transplanting pepper seedlings into pineapple
and at 3 weeks after transplanting pepper seedlings
into pineapple, pineapple-pepper intercrop alone and
sole crop components (pineapple, pepper and cowpea).
The population density of the minor intercropped
components (pepper and cowpea) was maintained at
lower population densities of 54 and 62.5 % of their
sole crop.
Double row system of planting pineapple was adopted
with spacing of 90 x 60x 30cm (60cm between each
double row; 30cm within the rows and 90cm between
two double rows). The suckers of pineapple (smooth
cayenne variety) were cured and planted on 2
nd
May
and 29
th
August, for the 2011 rainy and late season
experiments. Pineapple suckers were planted on 18
th
