Effect of Delayed Cassava Planting on Yields and Economic Returns of a Cassava-Groundnut Intercrop in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Thandar Nyi^{1, 2,} , Monicah Mucheru-Muna², Christ Shisanya³, Jean-Paul Lodi Lama⁴, Patrick K. Mutuo⁵, Pieter Pypers⁶ and Bernard Vanlauwe¹

¹International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nairobi, Kenya

²Department of Environmental Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

³Department of Geography, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

⁴International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kinshasa, DR. Congo

⁵International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Arusha, Tanzania

⁶International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Nairobi, Kenya

Cite this paper

Thandar Nyi, Monicah Mucheru-Muna, Christ Shisanya, Jean-Paul Lodi Lama, Patrick K. Mutuo, Pieter Pypers and Bernard Vanlauwe. Effect of Delayed Cassava Planting on Yields and Economic Returns of a Cassava-Groundnut Intercrop in the Democratic Republic of Congo. World Journal of Agricultural Research. 2014; 2(3):101-108. doi: 10.12691/WJAR-2-3-3

Abstract

Cassava intercropping is a common practice in sub-Saharan Africa. In terms of growth pattern, canopy development and nutrient demand, grain legumes are well suited for intercropping with cassava. Due to the inter-specific competition for growth resources, the relative planting time of the component crops has been considered as one of the important management practices for intercropping system productivity. Little information exists on the effect of cassava planting time on yields and economic returns of a cassava-legume intercrop. This study investigated the effect of relative planting times of cassava on yields and economic returns of a cassava-groundnut intercrop. Researcher-managed, field trials were installed in Bas-Congo Province in two consecutive seasons using four different planting times of cassava after the groundnuts. The results indicated that cassava planting time did not affect both grain and biomass yields of groundnut. When cassava was planted 3 weeks after the groundnuts, cassava storage root yields were significantly (P = 0.029) decreased by 48 to 60 % (9.3 to 11.3 t ha^-1) over cassava planted at the same time as groundnut. The net revenue of cassava planted 3 weeks after the groundnut was significantly (P = 0.002) decreased by about 70 % over that of cassava planted at the same time or 2 weeks after the groundnuts. Maximum net revenue of $ 1877 ha^-1 with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.42 was reported in the treatment of cassava planted at the same time. Benefit-cost ratio was favourable for the pure cassava (3.2 to 3.8) but not favourable for the pure groundnut. Cassava intercropping with groundnut had significantly (P = 0.019) lower profits than the pure cassava. The results suggest that cassava should be planted at the same time or not later than 2 weeks after the groundnuts to maximize yields and economic returns in a cassava-groundnut intercrop.

Keywords

BCR, grain yield, intercropping, MRR, relative planting time, storage root yield

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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