Abstract
Soil impoverishment remains a major constraint to food crop production in the Guinea Savanna agroecology of Ghana. Most soils identified in this ecology are fragile and deficient in nutrients due to inappropriate management practices. To resolve this challenge, field studies were conducted to assess the polycultural productivity of maize as affected by tillage practices, fertilizer rates and intercropping systems. The study was however conducted in two cropping seasons (2016 and 2017) at Yagaba in the Mamprugu Moaduri District of Northern Ghana. Treatments consisting of 2 tillage practices (direct seeding and ploughing), 2 fertilizer application rates (zero rate [0-0-0 kg/ha NPK] and recommended rate [60-30-30 kg/ha NPK]) and 3 intercropping systems (sole maize, cowpea [Vigna unguiculata L. Walp] and soybean [Glycine max L.]) were factorially examined in three replications using randomized complete block design. Although the maize responded differently to the varied treatments, its exposure to ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system were in general influential in enhancing vegetative growth, yield and yield components. The responsiveness of maize to ploughing and 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate increased grain yield by 8.60% and 37.68%, respectively than their untreated controls. Regardless of not directly supplying the intercrops with the inorganic fertilizer, nodulation count and effectiveness of cowpea and soybean were improved under ploughed fields treated with 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate. The combined impact of ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean integration resulted in higher profit returns. Hence, this study recommends to small-holder farmers in the Guinea Savannah agroecology of Ghana to adapt to the implementation of ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system for yield improvement and profit maximization.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Ploughing enhanced maize vegetative growth, yield and yield components.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“its exposure to ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system were in general influential in enhancing vegetative growth, yield and yield components.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer enhanced maize vegetative growth, yield and yield components.
- Treatment
- 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- vegetative growth, yield and yield componentse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“its exposure to ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system were in general influential in enhancing vegetative growth, yield and yield components.”
Claim · model-written summary
Soybean intercropping enhanced maize vegetative growth, yield and yield components.
- Treatment
- soybean intercropping systeme0
- Outcome
- vegetative growth, yield and yield componentse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“its exposure to ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system were in general influential in enhancing vegetative growth, yield and yield components.”
Claim · model-written summary
Ploughing increased maize grain yield 8.60% relative to untreated control.
- Treatment
- ploughinge0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 8.60%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The responsiveness of maize to ploughing and 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate increased grain yield by 8.60% and 37.68%, respectively than their untreated controls.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer increased maize grain yield 37.68% relative to untreated control.
- Treatment
- 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 37.68%e0
- Comparator
- untreated controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The responsiveness of maize to ploughing and 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate increased grain yield by 8.60% and 37.68%, respectively than their untreated controls.”
Claim · model-written summary
Ploughed fertilized fields improved cowpea nodulation count and effectiveness.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatae0 - Treatment
- ploughed fields treated with 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- nodulation count and effectivenesse0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nodulation count and effectiveness of cowpea and soybean were improved under ploughed fields treated with 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate.”
Claim · model-written summary
Ploughed fertilized fields improved soybean nodulation count and effectiveness.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe0 - Treatment
- ploughed fields treated with 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer ratee0
- Outcome
- nodulation count and effectivenesse0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nodulation count and effectiveness of cowpea and soybean were improved under ploughed fields treated with 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate.”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined ploughing, fertilizer and soybean integration produced higher profit returns.
- Treatment
- ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean integratione0
- Outcome
- profit returnse0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“The combined impact of ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean integration resulted in higher profit returns.”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors recommend ploughing, fertilizer and soybean intercropping for yield and profit.
- Outcome
- implementation of ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping systeme0
- Setting
- Guinea Savannah agroecology of Ghanae0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“this study recommends to small-holder farmers in the Guinea Savannah agroecology of Ghana to adapt to the implementation of ploughing, 60-30-30 kg/ha fertilizer rate and soybean intercropping system for yield improvement and profit maximization.”
The same questions in other papers
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3,484 papers in the same direction as this paper · 338 in the opposite direction · 85 reporting no difference from an alternative
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See all 3,908 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.