Evaluation of different strategies of intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) and soya bean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) under small-holder production in sub-humid Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study compared in-row intercropping practiced by some small-holders in Chinyika in Zimbabwe with various options of strip intercropping with the aim of increasing crop diversification and stability of cereal based cropping systems. Other intercropping patterns studied include 1 maize: 1 soya bean; 2 maize: 5 soya bean; 4 maize: 4 soya bean and 5 maize: 2 soya bean rows. Both maize and soya bean were adversely affected by intercropping as shown by partial equivalent ratios (PLER). The adverse effect of competition was greater under low rainfall conditions, but irrigation and high rainfall tended to improve productivity of intercrop systems. Overall, results indicated that intercropping maize with soya bean was more efficient than sole cropping with regard to Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) and income. Strip intercropping was more productive than in-row intercropping but is used by farmers because of perceived advantages of mechanical weeding. The results suggest that from a biological point of view, greater efficiency would be achieved by adopting a strip intercropping arrangement of 5 maize: 2 soya bean rows as a cropping pattern. This arrangement was more productive than sole cropping in a season with 426 mm of rainfall when all other intercropping treatments evaluated achieved LER <1.00. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information.