PERFORMANCE OF PEARL MILLET (Penisetum glaucum) - LEGUME INTERCROPS AS AFFECTED BY SPACING IN NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA

Abstract

Field experiments was carried out at the students’ research and practical farm of the Department of Agricultural Technology Federal Polytechnic Mubi and in Gerio Yola in 2024 cropping season. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of pearl millet-legume intercrop and to determine the most appropriate intra-row spacing for each of the legumes (soybean and cowpea) when grown in association with pearl millet. The treatments comprised of intra-row spacing of 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, 60 cm for the legumes while pearl millet was maintain at 30 cm intra-row spacing as the main plot and five cropping systems of millet-cowpea, millet-soybean, sole entries of millet, cowpea and soybean as subplot replicated three times in a split plot design. The result on millet indicated that there were no significant (P≤0.05) effects of intra-row spacing and crop combination on plant height in both locations. Crop combinations affected (P≤0.05) number of tillers in Yola location. Intra-row spacing affected (P≤0.05) days to 50 % booting in Mubi location .Grain yield were affected by intra-row spacing and crop combination in Yola location while crop combination affected (P≤0.05) grain yield in both locations with sole millet and millet-soybean having the highest. With regards to legumes parameters, crop combination affected (P≤0.01) plant height and stem length at 6, 9, and 12 WAS with sole cowpea having the highest in both locations. Crop combination affected (P≤0.05) number of stand at harvest in both locationsr. Grain yield and stover yield were affected (P≤0.05) by crop combination in both locations with sole entries having the highest. The intra-row spacing of 50 cm of millet-cowpea and millet-soybean in Yola location and intra-row spacing of 30 cm of same crop mixtures exhibited higher land equivalent ratio (LER). From this study it is recommended that intercropping of millet-cowpea and millet-soybean at intra-row spacing of 50 cm and 30 cm planting arrangement will give higher yield and better land use efficiency than sole culture of each crop species in Yola and Mubi locations respectively.