Effect of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Intercropping with Different Crops

Abstract

Intercropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously in the same land and popular in rain-fed agriculture, with limited resources, because one crop can exploit a resource that the other is not exploiting fully. Cereal-legume mixture is the common form of intercropping practiced by most small scale farmers in the tropics and subtropics. This method conserves soil water by means of reduction of the evaporation losses and increases the organic matter in the soil, which in turn improves soil structure, infiltration and water retention and helps prevent soil erosion. Groundnut fixes atmospheric nitrogen with the help of Rhizobium in the root nodules which helps to partially fulfill the crops nitrogen requirement. Crop combinations having shade tolerant legumes with non-climbing habit such as groundnut, cowpeas, soyabean or phaseolus beans, with maize, Sorghum, millet, cotton or castor beans have given greater overall yield from intercropping compared to sole cropping. Intercropping system helps for greater stability of yield, improve soil fertility, enhance ground cover thereby reducing weed competition, suppressing soil erosion and providing N for use by subsequent crops. Evidence showed that the nitrogen contribution of Groundnut on the growth of Maize in intercropping system is equivalent to an application of 96 kg N-fertilizer per hectare at a ratio of plant population densities of 1:4 Maize to Groundnut plants.

Keywords: Intercropping, Intensification, Nitrogen and resource