ABSTRACT

Two field experiments were conducted in early and late rains during the 2005 cropping season at the Ministry of Agriculture's farm, Lodu Ndume, Latitude 05°33'N and Longitude 07°51'E at altitude of 122m above sea level) Abia State of Nigeria to investigate the response of vegetable cowpea/maize intercrop to early and late rains of humid tropics. Vegetable cowpea(Vigna unguiculata L. Walp. Sub sp sesquipedalis) cultivars; 1T92KD — 267 — 2, 1T86D — 880, 1T93K — 915, 1T83S — 911, Akidi An! and Akidi Enu, with maize (Zea mays L) during the early and late rains of 2005. The experiment was a 2 x 3 x 6 split split factorial in a randomized complete block design. The two rain period constituted the main plot where the cropping systems (sole, between and within maize rows) and six vegetable cowpea cultivars sub sub plot were used as treatment with three replications. The intercropping of the vegetable cowpea cultivars and maize were done in two rainy periods early (May — July) and late (August — October) rains in the study area. Akid! Enu and Akidi An! produced significantly (P<0.05) highest values in growth parameters such as; vine length, number of leaves per plant, leaf area index, leaf dry weight, vine dry weight and total plant dry weight) and yield and yield attributes. The fresh pod yield per plant, fresh pod yield per hectare, 100 seed weight were higher with the traditional cultivars than for the other vegetable cowpea cultivars in the late rain. Evaluation of the production of the intercrop showed that land equivalent ratios were all above unity, indicating that higher productivity per unit area was achieved in the intercropping system, than growing the two crops separately. For maximum production, intercropping Akidi Enu and Akidi Ani between or within maize during the late rainy season is recommended.