EFFECTS OF INTERCROPPING AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON WEED SUPPRESSION AND YIELD OF OKRA IN THE RAINFOREST AGRO-ECOLOGY OF NIGERIA
Keywords:
Intercropping,, Jatropha,, Okra,, Weed suppression,, YieldAbstract
Maximizing crop production using crop intensification and enhancement of crop competitive ability
against weed is inevitable because of the reduction in available agricultural land. Field trials were conducted in 2019 and 2020 at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training stations, Ibadan and
Ikenne, Nigeria to examine the effects of fertilizer application and cropping system on weed suppression and yield of okra. The experiment was a split-plot arrangement in a Randomized Complete Block
design, replicated three times. Main plots were fertilizer type (control; NPK(20:10:10); organic(cassava
peel compost); 50% organic + 50% NPK), with sub plots of cropping systems (sole Jatropha; sole
okra; Jatropha/okra intercrop). Weed and yield parameters of okra were assessed. With Jatropha
canopy formation, weed percentage ground cover, weed count/m2 and weed dry weight (WDW) were
significantly (P≤0.05) reduced both as sole jatropha and in intercrop, relative to sole okra. Weed
smothering efficiency, (WSE) increased from 6.92-10.68 % in 2019 in sole and intercropped jatropha
to 28.38-32.08 % in 2020 with increased Jatropha canopy. Relative to sole okra, ground weed coverage was reduced by 22 %, weed count by 19 % and WDW by 29 % under intercrop. Weed count/m2
in fertilized plots reduced to 13-17/m2 but increased to 18- 19/m2 in the control plot . WDW from fertilized plots were significantly lower (20-24 g) than from unfertilized plants (25-31 g). Significant increase in soil N, organic C and available P in jatropha-based cropping system than sole okra was also
recorded in both locations, although residual Ca, Mg, K and Na, exchangeable acidity and ECEC had
similar concentrations in the soil across all cropping systems. Land equivalent ratio (LER) was 1.87 in
2019 and 2.11 in 2020, showing that land utilization efficiency for Jatropha-Okra intercropping was
more advantageous than sole cropping. The use of intercropping (Jatropha+Okra, 1:4) is therefore
recommended for okra farmers in this region for better weed suppression and enhanced land utilizatio
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