TITLE:
Evaluation of coffee intercropped with rice and plantain at early stage of field establishment in Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Amos Olatunde Famaye, Gerald O. Iremiren, Kayode Olufemi Ayegboyin, Kayode Babatunde Adejobi
KEYWORDS:
Evaluation; Coffee; Rice; Plantain; Intercrop
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.3 No.3,
May
15,
2012
ABSTRACT: An intercropping experiment involving coffee (sole), coffee/rice, coffee/plantain and coffee/ rice/plantain was carried out between 2007 and 2008 at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) Uhonmora Substation, Edo State situated in a derived Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. The experiment was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with above mentioned treatment and replicated three times. The spacing used for coffee and plantain was 3 m apart respectively while rice was sown 30 cm apart. Morphological parameters such as plant height, stem girth, leaf area and canopy score were taken on coffee monthly while the survival count were taken after two months of field establishment. Yields of the component crops were also collected at maturity. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis of variance and LSD used to separate the means that were significant. Result obtained showed 98% survival without any significant difference among the treatments. On vegetative growth, coffee/rice and coffee/plantain were significantly higher (p