International Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
p-ISSN: 2165-882X e-ISSN: 2165-8846
2020; 10(3): 76-83
doi:10.5923/j.ijaf.20201003.03
Received: Jun. 8, 2020; Accepted: Aug. 27, 2020; Published: Sep. 26, 2020
Miquitaio D.1, 2, 3, Miguel A. M.4, Simbe J.4, Oliveira M. M.2, Abreu I.2
1Universidade Púnguè, C.P. 323, Bairro Heróis Moçambicanos, Chimoio, Moçambique
2Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB NOVA), Avenida da República Oeiras, Portugal
3Graduate Program for Science and Development (PGCD), Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, Oeiras, Portugal
4Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Centro Zonal Centro, C.P. 42, Rua Pigivide 678, Chimoio, Moçambique
Correspondence to: Abreu I., Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB NOVA), Avenida da República Oeiras, Portugal.
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Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Scientific & Academic Publishing.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal in Mozambique. However, its productivity is low due to several constraints, including drought, low soil fertility, pests and diseases. The present study aimed at analyzing two cropping systems, namely, monocropping and intercropping, and delivering knowledge to improve maize production in Central Mozambique. Two locations were selected for the experiments, Sussundenga and Rotanda Agronomic Stations. We tested the agronomic performance of three open-pollinated maize varieties, Matuba, ZM309, and ZM523, in rainfed conditions in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 cropping seasons. The treatments analyzed in the first season were the maize varieties grown as monoculture and maize intercropped with cowpea Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp, both without any use of inorganic fertilizers. In Sussundenga, monocropping yielded 2410.4 to 3033.5 kg/ha of maize grain, while in intercropping, the yield was lower, ranging from 961.9 to 1282.9 kg/ha. However, the yield was more comparable between treatments in Rotanda, where monocropping yielded 1996.2 to 2310.7 kg/ha while for intercropping, 1478.3 to 2033.6 kg/ha was obtained. In the second season, we added fertilizer impact as an extra variable and in general contributed to increase 1.5 to 2.6 times grain yield over de non-fertilized plots. Additionally, we introduced relay intercropping to reduce competition between maize and cowpea, and obtained 2897.7 to 3958.4 kg/ha in Sussundenga, and 2613.8 to 3099.8 kg/ha in Rotanda. Overall, our data suggested that under sufficient rainfall, the tested varieties performed similarly. Also, although it should be optimized to fit the actual agro-ecological conditions, intercropping can be considered as a good strategy to increase yield, especially when combined with the use of fertilizer.
Keywords: Agronomic performance, Monocropping, Intercropping, Fertilizer, Mozambican maize
Cite this paper: Miquitaio D., Miguel A. M., Simbe J., Oliveira M. M., Abreu I., Exploring the Effect of Monocropping, Intercropping and Fertilizer Use in Maize (Zea mays L.) Production in Central Mozambique, International Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, Vol. 10 No. 3, 2020, pp. 76-83. doi: 10.5923/j.ijaf.20201003.03.