Influence of Intercrop Population and Applied Poultry Manure Rates on Component Crops Productivity Responses in a Snake Tomato/Celosia Cropping System

Abstract

Productivity responses using organic approaches will assist to elucidate crop responses under different intercrop population levels. Experiments were conducted to determine the growth, yield and productivity responses of component crops in snake tomato/celosia mixtures to intercrop population and organic manure application rates. The 4 × 4 factorial experiment arranged in completely randomized design (CRD) was replicated three times. The snake tomato using potting media was cultivated in 2013 and 2014 at 100,000 plants/ha (one plant/pot) alongside intercrop celosia at three population levels of 100,000 (P1), 200,000 (P2) and 300,000 plant/ha (P3) (10, 20 and 30 plants/pot respectively) where sole crops (P0) served as control. The crop mixture was supplied with poultry manure (PM) at 5 (F1), 10 (F2) and 20 t/ha (F3) using the unfertilized (0 t/ha-F0) as control. The result showed that plants in “year II” had longer vines, thicker girth and more side-vines while those in “year I” had more leaves, more male/female flowers, longer and thicker fruit sizes and heavier fruit yield. Intercropping with celosia at P1 produced plants with thicker girth and more leaves, plants at P1 - P3 had more side-vines while all intercropped plots had more female flowers, but P1 had thicker fruit girth compared to sole crops. Plants with F3 had longer vine length, more leaves and more number of side-vines, more female flowers, longer fruits, thicker fruit girth and heavier fruit yield, but those with F1 or F3 had thicker girth compared to other rates while those with F2 had better productivity advantage with LER and ATER at >1.0. In conclusion, snake tomato and celosia in crop mixture were best with F2 and F3 respectively, although intercropping retarded growth and yield of the component crops but P1 was comparable with sole.