Abstract
A six-year soil conservation trial was conducted on a steep slope, 44%, with a subhumid climate, based on very closely spaced (90 cm) hedgerows, using three intraspecific hybrids ofLeucaena leucocephala. Soil loss averaged 2.0 t/ha per year on theLeucaena plots compared with an initial 80 t/ha per year on the unprotected control plot, falling to 27 t/ha per year after the top soil had been eroded. After 6 years, micro terraces of 35 cm high and 81 cm wide had developed on the intercropped plots, with substantially improved soil properties. Maize yield (unfertilized) were maintained at 1.5–2.0 t/ha on the protected plots, compared with a progressive fall from 0.8 to 0.5 t/ha on the sole maize control.
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Banda, A.Z., Maghembe, J.A., Ngugi, D.N. et al. Effect of intercropping maize and closely spacedLeucaena hedgerows on soil conservation and maize yield on a steep slope at Ntcheu, Malawi. Agroforest Syst 27, 17–22 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704831
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704831