Effect of preceding winter crops and intercropping on yield, yield components and associated weeds in maize [electronic resource].

Includes references.

This study was carried out at Mallawi Agriculture Research Station to study the effect of preceding winter crops (wheat, fababean, berseem and onion) and cropping systems (maize intercropped with cowpea and solid maize) on yield, yield components and associated weeds in maize cultivar T. W.C. 310. The trial was initiated in 2003 season and completed in 2004 season, using a split-plot design with three replications. The result clear that: Maize, cowpea and associated weeds were significantly affected by preceding crops in both seasons. Planting maize after legume crops (fababean or berseem) produced the highest values for all characteristics. The lowest values were observed when it grown after wheat. The increase in maize grain yield after fababean were 19.09 and 17.33 % in the first and second seasons, respectively, compared with maize grain yield grown after wheat. The highest yield of cowpea (4.00 and 3.80 t/fed) were observed when the preceding crop was berseem, while the lowest values (3.00 and 3.20 t/fed) were observed when wheat was the preceding crop in both seasons. The effect of preceding crops on fresh weight of weeds associated with maize grown after berseem was the less followed by that grown after fababean as compared with that grown after wheat or onion. The yield and yield components of maize were increased when intercropped with cowpea in both seasons. The increase in grain yield was 3.74 and 5.05% in the first and the second seasons, respectively, compared with solid maize. The highest values of weeds weight (2.97 and 2.74 kg/m2) were observed in solid maize grown after wheat while the lowest values (1.61and 1.61 kglm2) were observed in intercropped maize with cowpea and preceded by berseem in first and second seasons, respectively. It could be concluded that maize grown after legume crops and intercropped with cowpea produce the highest grain yield and lowest values of associated weeds.

Summary in Arabic.

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