GROWTH AND YIELD RESPONSES OF SESAME AND SORGHUM IN SESAME/SORGHUM INTERCROPPING
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Date
2022-05
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Nigerian Journal of Crop Science
Abstract
A field trial was carried out at the Kwara State University Teaching and Research farm in the 2019 cropping season. The study aimed to investigate the growth and yield responses of sesame as sorghum as affected by varying Population density of both crops. Seven population densities viz: 100%SE:100%SH, 100%SE:75%SH, 100%SE:50%SH, 100%SE:25%SH, 75%SE:100%SH, 50%SE:100%SH, and 25%SE:100%SH plant population per hectare where SE and SH represented sesame and sorghum respectively were combined in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicate three times. The full population of each crop 111,111 and 55,555 plants per hectare respectively for sesame and sorghum were also included in the treatment as a control. The height and grain Yield of sorghum were significantly influenced by population density of component sesame. The height decreased as the population density of component sesame decreased. The seed yield of sesame was affected by population density of component sorghum with the lowest yield (115,19 kg/ha) obtained at 100 SH:25SE population ratio. Reasonable intercropping advantage was observed at the treatments where 55,555 and 41,250 population density of sorghum was intercropped with 111,111 plant population of sesame as measured by the land equivalent ratios (LER) and Land equivalent Coefficient (LEC) indices. Intercropping sorghum at population density of 27,777 and 13,750 with sesame at population density of 111,111 plants per hectare was disadvantageous. Aggressivity (A) values were positive for sorghum and negative for sesame in all population ratios tested except, 50SH:100SE and 25SH:100SE population ratios. The competitive ratio (CR) values followed a similar trend to the A values. The highest A value, 0.70 and -0.86, and CR, 18.2 and 4.20 respectively for sorghum and sesame were recorded at 100SH:25SE population ratios. A reasonable intercropping advantage was obtained at the treatment where the full population ratio of both was intercropped and hence, recommended for adoption.