Intercropping Withcassava Proceedings of an International Workshop Held Attrivandrum, India, 27 Nov-I Dec1978 Ectors: Ecward Webec Barry \Estel Anc Ariyn Campdeh
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Intercropping WithCassava Proceedings of an international workshop held atTrivandrum, India, 27 Nov-i Dec1978 Ectors: Ecward Webec Barry \esteL anc ariyn CampDeH ARCHIV 38421 IDRC-142e The International Development Research Centre is a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 to support research designed to adapt science and technology to the needs of developing countries. The Centre's activity is concentrated in five sectors: agriculture, food and nutrition sciences; health sciences; information sciences; social sciences; and communications. IDRC is financed solely by the Government of Canada; its policies, however, are set by an international Board of Governors. The Centre's headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada. Regional offices are located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. © 1979 International Development Research Centre Postal Address: Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G 3H9 Head Office: 60 Queen Street, Ottawa Weber, E. Nestel, B. Campbell, M. IDRC, Ottawa, CA Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Trivandrum, IN IDRC-142e Intercropping with cassava : proceedings of an international workshop held at Trivandrum, India, 27 Nov-i Dec 1978. Ottawa, Ont. IDRC, 1979. 144 p.: ill. /IDRC publication!, !conference paper!, !cassava!, /intercropping!, !crop diversification!, !agricultural research!, /research centres!, !Latin America/, !Asia!, !Africa/ - !agricultural management!, !plant protection!, /soil fertility!, /economic aspects!, !CIAT!, !IRRI/, !agricultural statistics!, bibliography. UDC: 631.584:635.23 ISBN: 0-88936-231-9 Microfiche edition available IDRC- 142e Intercropping with Cassava Proceedings of an international workshop held at Trivandrum, India, 27 Nov-i Dec 1978 Editors: Edward Weber,' Barry Nestel,2 and Marilyn Campbell3 Cosponsored by the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (Indian Council for Agricultural Research) and the International Development Research Centre 1Senior Program Officer, Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Sciences Division. IDRC. 2Consultant to the AFNS Division of IDRC. 3Communications Division, IDRC. Contents Foreword Edward Weber and Barry Nestel 5 Multiple cropping cassava and field beans: status of present work at the International Centre of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) M. Thung and J.H. Cock 7 Intercropping with cassava in Central America Raüf A. Moreno and Robert D. Hart 17 Cassava intercropping in Brazil Marcio Carvaiho Marques Porto, Pedro Alves de Almeida, Pedro Luiz Pires de Mattos, and Raymundo Fonséca Souza 25 Intercropping systems with cassava in Kerala State, India C.R. Mohan Kumar and N. Hrishi 31 Cassava intercropping patterns and management practices in Indonesia Suryatna Effendi 35 Cassava intercropping patterns and management practices at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India C.R. Muthukrishnan and S. Thamburaj 37 Cassava intercropping patterns and practices in Malaysia W.Y. Chew 43 Intercropping with cassava in Africa W. N. 0. Ezeilo 49 Cassava and cassava-based intercrop systems in Thailand Sophon Sinthuprama 57 Cassava intercropping research: agroclimatic and biological interactions H.G. Zandstra 67 Soil fertility implications of cropping patterns and practices for cassava Jerry L. McIntosh and Suryatna Effendi 77 Agroeconomic considerations in cassava intercropping research J.C. Flinn 87 Agronomic implications of cassavalegume intercropping systems Dietrich E. Leihner 103 Crop protection implications of cassava intercropping RaülA.Moreno 113 Discussion summary 129 Bibliography 133 Participants 141 2 Intercropping with Cassava in Africa W.N.O. Ezeilo' International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria In Africa, cassava-growing areas are locatedble yields, though this can change in accordance from Senegal in the west, through Nigeria and Zaire,with population densities and socioeconomic and east to Malagasy and from 15°N-15°S latitude,agricultural conditions. according to de Viliers (1965). Optimum production Cassava is an important food for man and animals requires an annual rainfall of 1000-2000 mm; av- in the producing areas and is now being traded on erage annual temperatures of 25-29 °C; daylengthsthe international market. The attributes of cassava not greater than 15 hours; altitudes less than 2000in indigenous farming systems include: high yield m above sea level; and freely draining sandy loamcompared to other crops per unit of time and land soils dominated by oxisols, ultisols, and alfisols.(de Vries et al. 1967); a long planting season (8 The diversity of cassava cropping systems in themonths) allowing for greater flexibility in work lowland humid tropics is based on high populationschedules; and good storage properties in the densities, personal tastes, economic and politicalground. Additionally, cassava is well adapted to a factors, and the overall level of technological de-wide range of ecological conditions (Jones 1959), velopment and resource availability. and is valued for its drought tolerance and ability to Cassava is grown not only as a sole crop but isgrow in suboptimal soils. often mixed intercropped (i.e., grown simulta- Philips (1974) forecasts cassava deficits and car- neously with one or more different crops on the samebohydrate shortages for some African countries by field with no distinct row arrangement) or relay in-1980. The prospects of increasing cassava produc- tercropped (i.e., grown with one or more differenttion and achieving self-sufficiency in the consumer crops simultaneously during part of the life cycle ofnations of Africa will be enhanced by the intro- each crop). duction of improvements based on an understanding Statistics on intercropped cassava tend to be of the mechanics, economics, advantages, and dis- underestimated, especially if the shorter term an- advantages of traditional systems. nuals planted with cassava have been harvested be- fore the data have been collected. The number of plants in the intercrop is highly variable. On many Cassava in Traditional Farming Systems family farms, sole cropping is dominant in the outer fields, while intercropping reaches its maximum Cassava, a long-duration crop (9-18 months), is complexity in the compound garden where cassava suited to intercropping with shorter-duration crops and other annual staples, vegetables, and perennial (2-5 months) such as maize, cowpeas, melons, and fruit trees are intercropped. Farm size tends to vary leaf vegetables. These crops mature when the cas- between 1 and 4 ha in both the rain forest and sa- sava is just attaining its maximum leaf area devel- vannah areas. Although there is a preponderance of opment and is initiating an increased rate of bulking larger farms in the drier savannahs, the number ofin its roots. As reported by Andrews (1970 and plants in cassava mixed croppings tends to decrease. 1975) and Kassam and Stockinger (1973), the yields Although intercropping is widely practiced, the pat- of relay and intercropping systems are highest when terns are location-specific, especially in the range there is a competition gap between the periods when of crop species that may be intercropped. A tradi- the crops involved are making maximum demands tional farming practice, intercropping provides sta- on environmental resources (light, nutrients, and 'National Accelerated Food Production Project (NAFPP)moisture). Coordinator, National Cassava Center, National Root In southern Nigeria, cassava is often intercropped Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria. with principal staples, such as yams, cocoyams, and 49 maize, and subsidiary crops, such as okra (Hibiscus and the dominance of cassava in terminal crop esculentus), melons (Colocynthis vulgaris), leaf sequences. vegetables (Telfairia occidentalis and Corchorus olitorus), and beans (Sphenosty1is stenocarpa and Vigna unguiculata). Cassava and intercrops are also Cassava tntercropping Research at IITA grown with oil palms and rubber and cocoa trees. The sequence of intercropping with cassava is based on the compatibility of species in the mixture The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture that can produce reasonable yields in relation to soil (IITA) is now emphasizing intercropping systems fertility and environmental conditions during thethat produce good yields, maintain soil fertility, and cropping cycle. Examples of cassava crop combi-minimize disease and pest buildup (IITA 1975). nations and sequences from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The first stage in the IITA strategy was the use of Liberia, and Zaire are summarized in Fig. 1-5village-level studies of traditional farming systems (Floyd 1969). With the exception of Liberia andto determine dominant crop mixtures, planting pat- Sierra Leone, where cassava is intercropped withterns, practices, and productivity of land and labour upland rice (Spencer 1973), it may be concluded that in various ecological zones. The studies also ex- cassava intercropping systems in West Africa andamined farmers' attitudes, experience, and con- Zaire (de Schlippe 1956; Reining 1970) are similarstraints, as well as the possibility of increasing prof- in production techniques, diversity of crops grown, itability in a given area (Ezeilo et al. 1975). Maize Planting Rice Transplanting Volunteer crop 1. Planting period 2. Growing period 3. Harvesting period A B _Double cropping ot crops A & B Perennial or Biennial crop not yet harvested or stopped growing Double harvesting Leaf Final fruit harvest harvesting Mixed cropping A & B grown mixed B in the same plot Relay cropping A A planted through