Plant population density in intercropping system is known to directly affect competition among component crop as well as their yields. In a bit to establish appropriate population density in an intercropping system in Bambili, a field experiment was conducted with treatments Sole Potato (33,333 plants/ha), Sole maize (40,000 plants/ha), sole beans (66,666 plants/ha), potato 30 cm/maize 25 cm (73,333 plants/ha), potato 30 cm/maize 50 cm (53333 plants/ha), potato 30 cm/beans 15 cm (99,999 plants/ha), potato 30 cm/beans 30 cm (66,666 plants/ha) and potato 30 cm/Maize 100 cm/Beans 60 cm (59,333 plants/ha) using a Randomized Complete Block Design with four (4) replicates. Data was collected on growth and yield parameters and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Means were separated using Fischer's least significance difference (LSD). Results obtained showed that intercropping potato, maize and beans had no effect on percentage emergence and percentage plant vigor but significant differences (P≤ 0.05) on plant height and groundcover. Significant differences (P≤ 0.05) between numbers of tubers per potato plants were obtained in both intercropping and sole cropping while the differences in the number of pods per beans plant and number of cobs per maize plant were not significant (P≥ 0.05). Intercropping had a negative effect on the average weight of tubers per potato plant which resulted to lower tuber weights per plant in intercropping as compared to sole cropping. In the case of beans and maize, intercropping had no significant effect (P≥ 0.05) on the average weight of pods, but there was significant (P≤ 0.05) difference in the average weight of maize grains. Overall the yields of potato per hectare, maize per hectare and beans per hectare were significantly (P≤ 0.05) affected by intercropping. Comparing the intercropping treatments, potato/maize at 25 cm had the best maize grain yield (1.7 tons/ha) while potato/beans at 15 cm had the best beans yield (2.4 tons/ha). More research on Potato /beans (99,999 plants/ha), Potato /maize (53333 plants/ha) and Potato /maize (73,333 plants/ha) as appropriate intercropping systems is recommended.
Mulching is a common technique used across the world by farmers to especially conserve soil moisture in vegetable production but farmers in Nfonta and the entire western highlands of Cameroon have not practiced the uses of mulching. In this experiment, a randomized complete block designe with 5 treatments and 3 replications was set up to study the effect of elephant grass, saw dust and white plastic as mulching materials on the growth and yield of green bean (Phaseolusvulgaris L.) in Nfonta. Data was collected on plant height; number of leaves per plants, leaf area index and yield of mature pods per plant. Data was analyzed using one way ANOVA from stat graphics centurion xv and means were separation using the Fischer least significant difference (LSD) test at 95% confidence interval. Results showed white plastic, and elephant grass mulches to have significantly (P<0.05) affected the growth and yield of green bean. White plastic mulched plants exhibited the highest growth parameters and subsequently produced the highest yield of 12.00 mature pods per plant with average pod length of 11.97cm and average mature pod weight of 4.22g compared to the other mulch treatments. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences in yield of green bean grown with no mulch (control), saw dust mulch and corn stalk mulch. Corn stalk mulched bean plants produced the lowest yield of 7.83 mature pods per plant with average pod length of 9.17cm and an average mature pod weight of 2.83 which was not much different from that produced by the control. These results call for more investigations to the potentials of white plastic as best mulch material for achieving optimum green beans yield in Nfonta and the entire western highlands of Cameroon.
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