Cumulative effects and economic benefits of intercropping maize with food legumes on Striga hermonthica infestation
Cumulative effects and economic benefits of intercropping maize with food legumes on Striga hermonthica infestation
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DOI：
10.1016/j.fcr.2013.09.012
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发表时间：
2014-01-01
影响因子：
5.8
通讯作者：
Khan, Zeyaur R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Midega, Charles A. O.;Salifu, Daisy;Khan, Zeyaur R.
寄生杂草Striga hermonthica，通常被称为Striga，是撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）玉米生产的主要生物限制因素，它在小农农业社区造成严重的粮食不安全和贫困。我们以前发现了一种有效的防治方法，即将谷类作物与饲料豆科的假丝茅（俗称假丝茅）间作。本研究的目的是评价玉米与常用食用豆类间作对螺旋体侵染的累积效应，并确定其经济效益。处理包括在单作林中种植玉米块或间作五种不同的食用豆科植物或菊科植物。间作玉米对丝霉的抑制效果最稳定、最显著。在豆科作物间作中，只有豆科作物间作、花生间作和绿豆间作的stristria数量显著降低，而且仅在某些种植季节。与玉米单作相比，间作豆科作物的粮食产量也有所增加，但间作菊科作物的粮食产量持续显著提高，从而证实了豆科作物间作比玉米单作的优越性。虽然间作的总劳动力成本和可变成本明显高于玉米单作，但间作的总收入和净效益明显高于玉米单作，尤其是玉米双季花。经济效益最高的是金缕草间作，其次是黄缕草和绿缕草间作。这些结果证实了地丝霉在抑制刺虫、提高小农产量和经济回报方面的有效性。他们还表明，投资于粮食豆科作物间作系统，特别是黄豆科作物和绿豆科作物系统是有利可图的，并表明，通过将这些粮食豆科作物与其他方法相结合，加强玉米种植系统，有助于对刺蒺藜进行综合管理，并为小农提供更可持续和更有利可图的生产系统。(C) 2013 Elsevier B.V.版权所有
The parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, commonly known as striga, is a major biotic constraint to maize production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where it causes serious food insecurity and poverty in smallholder farming communities. We previously discovered an effective control method for it involving intercropping cereals with fodder legumes in the genus Desmodium, commonly known as desmodium. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate cumulative effects of intercropping maize with the commonly grown food legumes on striga infestation, and to establish any economic benefits of the same. Treatments comprised maize plots planted in monocrop stands or intercropped with five different food legume species or desmodium. lntercropping maize with desmodium gave the most consistent and significant suppression of striga. Out of the food legume intercrops, only crotalaria, groundnut and greengram intercrops had significantly lower striga counts and only in some of the cropping seasons. Grain yields were consistently and significantly higher with desmodium intercrop, although they were also increased with food legume intercrops compared to maize monocrop, thus confirming superiority of intercropping with legumes over maize monocrop. Although production costs in terms of total labor and variable costs were significantly higher for the intercrops than for the maize monocrop, total revenue and net benefits were significantly higher in the former, especially for desmodium. The desmodium intercrop gave the highest economic benefits followed by crotalaria and greengram intercrops. These results confirmed the effectiveness of desmodium in suppressing striga and improving yields and economic returns to smallholder farmers. They also showed that it is profitable to invest in food legume intercrop systems, especially the crotalaria and greengram systems, and indicate that intensifying maize cropping systems through integration of these food legumes in combination with other approaches can contribute to an integrated management of striga and provide a more sustainable and profitable productive system to smallholder farmers. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.