Impact of associated intercrops on growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L) in major seasons of south Asia

Abstract

Mixed cropping is a feature of smallholder tropical farming systems, and maize (Zea mays L) is the most common highland cereal planted in these systems in Asia, under rainfed conditions. A field study thus determined the effect of intercropping maize with four popular food crops, over two major seasons of tropical Asia. The bean (Phaseolus spp.) intercrop had no significant impact on growth and yields of maize, while cassava (Manihot esculenta) had the most significant adverse effect. The impact of tomato(Lycospersicon esculentum) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) on maize was in-between those of beans and cassava. The bean, tomato and sweet potato – maize intercrops have LER values greater than unity, while that of cassava maize was lower than 1. Optimizing maize production and resource use in smallholder systems through mixed or intercropping thus requires the selection of suitable crop species.