Abstract
Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of alley cropping vegetable crops with Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit for two seasons on a sandy loam Oxic paleustalf in southwestern Nigeria. Four vegetable crops (Amaranthus cruentus L.; Celosia argentea L.; Okra, Hibiscus esculentus L.; and tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in control plots and in 4-m wide alleys between established Leucaena hedgerows without and with fertilizer (30 N-13 P-24 K kg ha−1). Leucaena prunings yielded large dry biomass and nutrients during both seasons. Yield of four vegetable crops responded more to fertilizer in control than in alley cropped treatments. Better yield of vegetables in alley cropped plots was in part due to following effect of the Leucaena hedgerows. Fertilizer application increased mean yields of Amaranthus, Celosia, okra and tomato by 325, 164, 47 and 94% in control plots and by 36, 26, 4 and 20% in alley cropped plots, respectively. For both seasons, yields were not significantly different between alley cropped with and without fertilizer and the control with fertilizer treatments. Yield was least in control without fertilizer. Alley cropping with Leucaena can reduce fertilizer requirement for vegetable production. Cost and return analysis using 1988 prices indicated that alley cropping with vegetable crops can be profitable.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altieri, M and Sands, M (1987) Self-reliance and the small organic farm in Chile. In: Experiences in Success: Case Studies in Growing Enough Food through Regenerative Agriculture, pp 40–47. Rodale International, Emmaus, PA, USA
Chen, YS, Kang, BT and Caveness, FE (1989) Alley cropping vegetable crops with Leucaena in southern Nigeria. Hort Science 24: 839–840
Dalzell, HW, Biddelstone, AJ, Gray, KR and Thurairajan, K (1987) Soil management: compost production and use in tropical and subtropical environments. Soil bulletin 56. Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, Italy
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (1987) Resource and crop management program annual report. IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria: 11
Juo, ASR (1983) Selected methods for soil and plant analysis. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria, Manual Series
Kang, BT (1987) Nitrogen cycling in multiple cropping systems In: Wilson, JR, ed, Advances in Nitrogen Cycling in Agricultural Ecosystems, pp 333–348. CAB International, Walingford, UK
Kang, BT, Grimme, H and Lawson, TL (1985) Alley cropping sequentially cropped maize and cowpea with Leucaena on a sandy soil in southern Nigeria. Plant and Soil 85: 267–276
Kang, BT, Reynolds, L and Atta-Krah, AN (1990) Alley farming. Advances in Agronomy 43: 315–359
Moormann, FR, Lal, R and Juo, ASR (1975) The soils of IITA. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
MSTAT (1989) A microcomputer program for the design, management and analysis of agronomic research experiments. Michigan State University. East Lansing, USA
Ngambeki, DS (1985) Economic evaluation of alley cropping Leucaena with maize-maize and maize-cowpea in southern Nigeria. Agric Systems 17: 243–358
Sumberg, JE, McIntire, J, Okali, C and Atta-Krah, N (1987) Economic analysis of alley farming with small ruminants. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Bulletin 28: 2–6
Tull, K (1987) Bio-intensive gardening in the Philippines. In: Experiences in Success. Case Studies in Growing Enough Food through Regenerating Agriculture, pp 22–31. Rodale International, Emmaus, PA, USA
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
c/o Miss Maureen Larkin, L. W. Lambourn & Company, 26 Dingwall Road, Croydon CR9 3EE, England
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Palada, M.C., Kang, B.T. & Claassen, S.L. Effect of alley cropping with Leucaena leucocephala and fertilizer application on yield of vegetable crops. Agroforest Syst 19, 139–147 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138504
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138504