Effects of landrace legumes-velvet bean, lima bean and African yam bean-on the performance of yam, cassava based crop mixtures

Abstract

This study appraised the effects of landrace legumes, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens Var. utilis) Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) and African yam bean (Stenostylis sternocarpa) on the performance of yam, cassava based crop mixtures. The three-landrace legumes were intercropped with tuber based cropping system. The 18 treatments comprising yam/maize/mucuna, yam/maize/lima, yam/maize/African yam bean, yam/maize cassava/maize/mucuna, cassava/maize/lima, cassava/maize/African yam bean, cassava/maize, yam/maize/cassava/mucuna, yam/maize/cassava/mucuna, yam/maize/cassava/ African yam bean, yam/maize/cassava, yam, cassava, maize, Mucuna, Lima bean and African yam beans were laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. The research was canied out at the training and research farm of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, located at latitude 5° 20′N and 5° 29′N, longitude 7°E and 7°02′E in the humid rainforest zone of southeastern Nigeria. Growth and yield data were collected and statistically analysed. The heavy canopy cover of mucuna in all crop combination associated with it coupled with high number of component crops per plot reduced maize and cassava plant heights as well as maize grain yield, fresh cassava roots and fresh yam tubers. However, crop mixtures with lima bean and or African yam bean did not significantly p≥ 0.05 affect maize and cassava plant heights nor depressed fresh cassava roots, maize grain and fresh yam tuber yields. All the legume crops performed well in sole cropping system than in mixture of more than three component crops as a result of competition for the necessary growth resources. © 2007 Academic Journals Inc.