Abstract
There is much interest in reducing risk, increasing yield and maintaining soil fertility and biodiversity in agriculture. The effects of intercropping cassava (M. esculenta crantz) with beans (Phaseolus spp), millet (E. coracana) or a bean-millet mixture with the use of various soil amendment treatments; manure, manure and synthetic fertilizer, synthetic fertilizer or mulch under a rainfed cropping system were investigated over a two year period in Kolli Hills, South India. Physical and chemical properties of soil, bean protein content, cassava leaf nutrients and starch content, and marginal rates of return were assessed. Results varied greatly across sites and seasons. Intercropping with millets significantly reduced crop yields in Mathyriolovo and Oleyur; mean yields in year one and two were higher when synthetic fertilizer and a combination of fertilizer and manure were applied; during year two, the greatest yield increase resulted from mulching. Intercropping with millets had both negative and positive impacts on soil: lowering available N, and exchangeable Mn, while showing increases in available P in various sites. When bean with millets were intercropped with cassava, there were significant increases in soil exchangeable Na, available P, EC, Cu and exchangeable K in comparison to other treatments. Manure resulted in a significant increase in soil pH, and a decrease in Zn; the addition of synthetic fertilizer resulted in an increase in soil EC in various sites. Results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that soil Zn, clay content, CEC, Cu, pH and available K accounted for the greatest amount of variation in samples and the resultant soil quality index (SQI) for cassava production in the Kolli Hills. Economic analysis highlighted the great variation between site and seasons; fertilizer and manure plus fertilizer intercropped with millets or bean and millets having the highest marginal rate of return in year one, while sole cropping of cassava under a mulch treatment provided a positive return in year two. Based on soil properties, crop qualities and economics cassava based cropping systems may be improved by various intercropping systems and soil amendments; however, the great variation in soil, climate, availability of inputs and the needs of the smallholder farmer need to be considered prior to forming overall management recommendations.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Millet intercropping reduced yields at two sites.
- Treatment
- Intercropping with milletse0
- Outcome
- crop yieldse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Setting
- Mathyriolovo and Oleyure0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Intercropping with millets significantly reduced crop yields in Mathyriolovo and Oleyur”
Claim · model-written summary
Synthetic fertilizer increased mean yields in both years.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“mean yields in year one and two were higher when synthetic fertilizer and a combination of fertilizer and manure were applied”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer plus manure increased mean yields in both years.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“mean yields in year one and two were higher when synthetic fertilizer and a combination of fertilizer and manure were applied”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching produced the greatest yield increase in year two.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“during year two, the greatest yield increase resulted from mulching”
Claim · model-written summary
Millet intercropping lowered soil available N and exchangeable Mn.
- Treatment
- Intercropping with milletse0
- Outcome
- soil: lowering available N, and exchangeable Mne0
- Direction
- loweringe0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Intercropping with millets had both negative and positive impacts on soil: lowering available N, and exchangeable Mn”
Claim · model-written summary
Millet intercropping raised soil available P.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“while showing increases in available P in various sites”
Claim · model-written summary
Bean and millet intercropping increased soil Na, P and EC.
- Taxon
- cassava
Manihot esculentae0 - Treatment
- bean with milletse0
- Outcome
- soil exchangeable Na, available P, ECe0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Comparator
- other treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When bean with millets were intercropped with cassava, there were significant increases in soil exchangeable Na, available P, EC, Cu and exchangeable K in comparison to other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Bean and millet intercropping increased soil Cu and exchangeable K.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae0
- Treatment
- bean with milletse0
- Outcome
- Cu and exchangeable Ke0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Comparator
- other treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When bean with millets were intercropped with cassava, there were significant increases in soil exchangeable Na, available P, EC, Cu and exchangeable K in comparison to other treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Manure increased soil pH.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Manure resulted in a significant increase in soil pH”
Claim · model-written summary
Manure decreased soil Zn.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“and a decrease in Zn”
Claim · model-written summary
Synthetic fertilizer increased soil EC.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“the addition of synthetic fertilizer resulted in an increase in soil EC in various sites”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil Zn, clay, CEC, Cu, pH and K explained most soil variation and the cassava soil quality index.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae0
- Outcome
- variation in samples and the resultant soil quality index (SQI)e0
- Setting
- Kolli Hillse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil Zn, clay content, CEC, Cu, pH and available K accounted for the greatest amount of variation in samples and the resultant soil quality index (SQI) for cassava production in the Kolli Hills”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer and fertilizer plus manure with intercropping had the highest year-one marginal returns.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“fertilizer and manure plus fertilizer intercropped with millets or bean and millets having the highest marginal rate of return in year one”
Claim · model-written summary
Sole cassava with mulch had a positive year-two return.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae0
- Treatment
- mulch treatmente0
- Outcome
- positive returne0
- Qualifier
- year twoe0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“sole cropping of cassava under a mulch treatment provided a positive return in year two”
Claim · model-written summary
Management recommendations should consider site, climate, input availability and farmer needs.
- Outcome
- need to be considered prior to forming overall management recommendationse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the great variation in soil, climate, availability of inputs and the needs of the smallholder farmer need to be considered prior to forming overall management recommendations”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Manihot esculenta (cassava)Results differ
11 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- negative
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See all 78 papers →fertilization · yield · Manihot esculenta (cassava)Positive and negative results
140 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction · 2 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
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See all 153 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.