Publication Date: 2024/02/10
Abstract: Maize is a staple food with a high per capita consumption averaging 125 Kgs per person annually in Kenya. However, its low yields associated with climate change, declining cultivable land and reduced soil fertility posing a serious threat to food security. To ensure increased crop yields, apt intecropping systems and management has to be adopted to meet the ever increasing demands. Field experiments were carried out in Kisii and Kisumu counties over two seasons; to determine the effect of intercropping maize with selected agroforestry species on maize yields and Harvest Index (HI). The treatments consisted of; maize no-fertilizer, maize+banana+Caliandra (MBC), maize+banana+ Leucaena (MBL), maize+ banana+ Sesbania (MBS), maize+ banana (MB) and maize+ fertilizer arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Agroforestry species were planted six months before maize both in 2018 Short rains (SR) and 2019 Long Rains (LR). Maize-fertilizer treatment was applied with 35 Kgs P/ha and 85 Kgs N/ha. Maize fertilizer had significantly high grain yields in Kisumu LR (3.98 t/ha) which was statistically similar to MBS (3.72 t/ha). In Kisii, Maize fertilizer in SR (4.62 t/ha) and LR (5.0 t/ha) with Maize No fertilizer (5.0 t/ha) had significantly high yields. Maize fertilizer biomass in Kisii SR was 26.4 t/ha and 15.8 t/ha in LR which was significantly similar to Maize No fertilizer (13.9 t/ha) and MBS (13.8 t/ha). Intercropping systems had a significant effect on maize yields and Harvest Index. Maize fertilizer recommended to obtain higher grain and biomass yields in Kisumu and Kisii.
Keywords: Intercropping Systems, Agroforestry, Maize Yields, Harvest Index.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10642770
PDF: https://ijirst.demo4.arinfotech.co/assets/upload/files/IJISRT24JAN1567.pdf
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