Abstract
Alley cropping is a prototype agro-forestry system practiced in many parts of the humid tropics. It is one of the established, promising and sustainable low-input soil management ventures. An improved understanding of the eco-physiological relationships between the arable and perennials in this system could contribute to solving issues of sustainability for nutrient use and system productivity. Field experiments were conducted in Alabata and Ajibode, located in the derived savannah zone of Nigeria, to evaluate the comparative effects of an alley cropping system, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation and cassava intercropping on maize yield. These on-farms trials (research managed and farmer managed) were conducted in the 1993/94 and 1995/96 growing seasons, in Rhodic Kandiustalf soil type with low nutrients. Each trial was a split-plot factorial arranged in randomized complete blocks with three replications. Biomass productions of maize and cassava tuber yield were determined. The results obtained at Alabata indicated that the maize plants were heavily infected with AM fungi whether inoculated or not. The hedgerow trees did not have a significant effect on maize yield. The increase in yield brought about by the alley cropping system was generally less than 15%, except in one farm where increases of 34·6 and 46·5% were recorded in AM-inoculated and non-inoculated plots respectively. The introduced AM fungi did not significantly enhance maize yield at Alabata; the percentage increase was not more than 24%. This trend was also observed at Ajibode. Cassava tuber yield was found to be suppressed by the alley cropping system irrespective of the cultivar. The decrease in yield ranged from 2·6 to 150·8%. However, inoculation of the cassava with exotic AM fungi brought about an enhancement of its tuber production. The increase ranged from 20·7 to 189·8% depending on the treatment combination. It is therefore necessary to encourage adoption of the improved alley cropping system integrated with mycorrhizal technology.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Maize plants were heavily infected with AM fungi regardless of inoculation.
- Interactor
- AM fungiGlomeromycotae0symbiont
- Outcome
- heavily infected with AM fungie0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maize plants were heavily infected with AM fungi whether inoculated or not”
Claim · model-written summary
Hedgerow trees had no significant effect on maize yield.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The hedgerow trees did not have a significant effect on maize yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Alley cropping generally increased maize yield by less than 15%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The increase in yield brought about by the alley cropping system was generally less than 15%”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One farm had a 34·6% maize yield increase in AM-inoculated plots under alley cropping.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in one farm where increases of 34·6 and 46·5% were recorded in AM-inoculated and non-inoculated plots respectively”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One farm had a 46·5% maize yield increase in non-inoculated alley plots.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in one farm where increases of 34·6 and 46·5% were recorded in AM-inoculated and non-inoculated plots respectively”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Introduced AM fungi did not significantly increase maize yield at Alabata; the increase was at most 24%.
- Treatment
- introduced AM fungie0
- Interactor
- AM fungiGlomeromycotae0symbiont
- Outcome
- maize yielde0
- Direction
- did not significantly enhancee0
- Value
- not more than 24%e0
- Setting
- Alabatae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The introduced AM fungi did not significantly enhance maize yield at Alabata; the percentage increase was not more than 24%”
Claim · model-written summary
The same lack of significant maize yield enhancement was observed at Ajibode.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This trend was also observed at Ajibode”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Alley cropping suppressed cassava tuber yield across cultivars by 2·6 to 150·8%.
- Taxon
- Cassava
Manihot esculentae0 - Treatment
- alley cropping systeme0
- Outcome
- tuber yielde0
- Direction
- suppressede0
- Value
- 2·6 to 150·8%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cassava tuber yield was found to be suppressed by the alley cropping system irrespective of the cultivar. The decrease in yield ranged from 2·6 to 150·8%”
Claim · model-written summary
Exotic AM fungi inoculation increased cassava tuber production by 20·7 to 189·8%.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae0
- Treatment
- inoculation of the cassava with exotic AM fungie0
- Interactor
- AM fungiGlomeromycotae0symbiont
- Outcome
- tuber productione0
- Direction
- enhancemente0
- Value
- 20·7 to 189·8%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“inoculation of the cassava with exotic AM fungi brought about an enhancement of its tuber production. The increase ranged from 20·7 to 189·8% depending on the treatment combination”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors recommend adoption of improved alley cropping integrated with mycorrhizal technology.
- Outcome
- adoption of the improved alley cropping system integrated with mycorrhizal technologye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“necessary to encourage adoption of the improved alley cropping system integrated with mycorrhizal technology”
t0“maize productivity”
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