Agronomic performance of cowpea and corn sown in strip‑intercropping in the off-season

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of cowpea and corn cultivars in single cropping and in strip‑intercropping in the off-season. The experiments were carried out in Dourados, MS (2009 and 2010), and Botucatu, SP (2010), Brazil. A randomized complete block design was used, in a split‑plot arrangement with four replicates. The plots with cowpea consisted of three cropping systems (intercropped with corn variety or corn hybrid, and single cropped), and the subplots of three cowpea cultivars (BRS Guariba, BRS Novaera, and BRS Xiquexique). The plots with corn consisted of two corn cultivars (variety BR 473 and hybrid BRS 1030 or BRS 1010), and the subplots of four cropping systems (intercropped with the three cowpea cultivars and single cropped). The strip‑intercropping system consisted of four rows of cowpea and four rows of corn. The intercropping led to a more efficient use of the land. Yield performance between cowpea cultivars did not differ when they were strip‑intercropped with corn cultivars. The corn hybrid was more productive than the variety, both in single cropping and in intercropping.