Abstract
A study was undertaken to assess the effect of different pruning intervals of Leucaena leucocephala hedgerows on alley cropped maize and cassava. Farmers often delay hedgerow pruning in alley cropping systems due to labor, and financial constraints. It is not clear, however, when hedgerow shading becomes detrimental to crop growth. Crop growth and yield were measured in relation to available light and soil moisture under Leucaena hedgerows which were pruned every 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks. A control of unpruned hedgerows was included. Marked reductions in maize yield were recorded when hedgerow pruning was delayed beyond 10 weeks after crop planting; while cassava yield was not affected. A general trend of taller plants with thinner stems was observed when Leucaena hedgerows were not pruned or pruned at intervals of 8 weeks. Plants adjacent to hedgerows were usually shorter than those in the middle of the alleys. Yield decline and growth effects were attributed to shading, rather than soil moisture depletion by the hedgerows. This study demonstrated that hedgerow pruning can be delayed up to 10 weeks after planting maize without significant yield reduction. Further studies are necessary to determine optimum pruning intervals for a maize/cassava intercrop in an alley cropping system.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Delaying hedgerow pruning beyond ten weeks reduced maize yield.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Marked reductions in maize yield were recorded when hedgerow pruning was delayed beyond 10 weeks after crop planting”
t0“maize/cassava”
Claim · model-written summary
Cassava yield was not affected by delayed pruning.
- Taxon
- cassava
Manihot esculentae0 - Treatment
- pruning frequencyt0
- Outcome
- cassava yielde0
- Direction
- not affectede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“while cassava yield was not affected”
t0“Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de wit pruning frequency on alley cropped maize/cassava”
Claim · model-written summary
Unpruned or eight-week-pruned hedgerows produced taller crop plants with thinner stems.
- Taxon
- maize/cassavaManihot esculenta
Zea mayst0 - Treatment
- Leucaena hedgerows were not pruned or pruned at intervals of 8 weekse0
- Outcome
- taller plants with thinner stemse0
- Direction
- tallere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A general trend of taller plants with thinner stems was observed when Leucaena hedgerows were not pruned or pruned at intervals of 8 weeks.”
t0“maize/cassava”
Claim · model-written summary
Plants adjacent to hedgerows were shorter than plants in alley middles.
- Taxon
- maize/cassavaManihot esculentaZea mayst0
- Outcome
- Plantse0
- Direction
- shortere0
- Comparator
- middle of the alleyse0
- Setting
- adjacent to hedgerowse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Plants adjacent to hedgerows were usually shorter than those in the middle of the alleys.”
t0“maize/cassava”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed yield and growth effects to shading.
- Taxon
- maize/cassavaManihot esculentaZea mayst0
- Outcome
- Yield decline and growth effectse0
- Qualifier
- shadinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield decline and growth effects were attributed to shading, rather than soil moisture depletion by the hedgerows.”
t0“maize/cassava”
Claim · model-written summary
Hedgerow pruning can be delayed up to ten weeks after planting maize without significant yield loss.
- Outcome
- hedgerow pruning can be delayed up to 10 weeks after planting maizee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“hedgerow pruning can be delayed up to 10 weeks after planting maize without significant yield reduction”
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