Maize yield fluctuation in small scale farms of East Africa is associated mainly to intermittent drought, soil fertility decline and choice of intercrops. Field experiments were conducted between 2000 and 2004 in Areka, Southern Ethiopia to evaluate whether maize cultivar mixtures have yield advantage over pure stands under sub-optimal conditions but also to quantify the productivity of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa) as a green manure cropunder intercropping with maize mixtures or pure stands. Mid-late maturing, A511 (145 days, 2.45m tall) and early maturing, ACV6 (120 days and 2.04m tall) maize varieties were grown either in pure stands or in mixtures of the two cultivars with or without intercropping, in fertile or less fertile farm plots. Under sole cropping, the grain yield of mixtures was significantly higher (by 1.5 tha-1) (P
Publication year
2005
Authors
Amede, T.; Bekele A; Opondo C J
Language
English
Keywords
systems, intercropping, cultivars, maize
Geographic
Ethiopia
