Spatial arrangement and nutrient management for maize-fodder cowpea intercropping in rice fallows

Abstract

An investigation was carried out during the summer season of 1987-88 in the Instructional Farm attached to the College of Agriculture, Vellayani to determine the best crop arrangement for a grain maize + fodder cowpea intercropping in summer rice fallows under different fertility levels. The different crop arrangements tried were pure crop of maize at normal row arrangement, maize at normal row arrangement + two rows of cowpea in between the maize, pure crop of maize at paired row arrangement , maize at paired row arrangement + three rows of cowpea in the interpair spaces and pure crop of cowpea. The fertilizer levels tried were 100, 75 and 50 per cent of the recommended levels of nutrients of maize , cowpea and maize + cowpea, depending on crop arrangement and the area occupied by each crop. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The crop arrangements were allotted to main plots and the fertility levels to the subplots.