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Effect of Soybean Population and Spatial Arrangement on Nutrient Uptake and Production of ginger/Soybean Intercrop in South-Eastern Nigeria


EN Nwaogu
A Udealor
II Onyemuwa

Abstract

A field study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 cropping seasons at the research farm of the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, to determine the effect of soybean population and spatial arrangement on the productivity of ginger/soybean intercrop in South Eastern Nigeria. Treatments comprised four soybean populations(50,000, 100,000 200,000 and 400,000 plants/ha) factorially combined with three spatial arrangements(one row of soybean to one row of ginger, two rows of soybean to one row of ginger and three rows of soybean to one row of ginger. Intercropping ginger with soybean significantly reduced fresh rhizome and grain yields of ginger and soybean respectively. Highest rhizome yield was obtained by planting soybean at a population of 100,000 plants/ha. One row of soybean to one row of ginger gave not only the highest intercrop productivity expressed by land equivalent ratio, but also the highest N,P,K nutrient uptake by ginger.

Keywords: Productivity, nutrient uptake, spatial arrangement, intercrop.


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print ISSN: 0300-368X