Abstract
Studies were initiated in 1983 to investigate the effects of intercropping cassava, maize and groundnuts in a low fertility soil on the yields of component crops and total land productivity of the cassava/maize/ groundnuts cropping system. Cassava tuber yield was decreased by 12% in cassava/maize/groundnuts intercrops where groundnut population was 100 × 103 plants ha-1 or more. Cassava yields were not reduced in cassava/maize and cassava/groundnuts bi-specific mixtures. Grain yield of maize at 50% of sole crop optimum population tended to be higher in mixtures than under sole cropping at equivalent populations. Percentage yield reduction of groundnuts in groundnut/cassava/maize where groundnut populations were 50, 100 and 200 × 103 plants ha-1 were 39, 14 and 78, respectively. This study indicated that cassava/maize/ groundnuts is more productive than cassava/maize or cassava/groundnuts. Highest intercropping advantage, based on LER, was achieved where the cassava/maize system (mean LER = 2.08) included groundnuts at 100 × 103 plants ha-1 (mean LER = 2.88).
