Forage productivity system evaluation through station screening and intercropping of lablab forage legume with maize under Irrigated lands of smallholder farmers

Abstract

On station, farm studies were conducted in the eastern zone of Tigray to improve feed resource through integrating forage and cereal crops, to identify suitable and compatible lablab accessions for maize lablab intercropping under smallholder farmers, to demonstrate maize/lablab intercropping on farm, and to see farmer's perception towards this technology. In the first study, eight lablab accessions were screened as monocrops adaptively, biomass and seed production. 1034, 912 and Dolichos lablab accessions were selected. Mean biomass production was estimated as 5.91, 7.12 and 8.31 DM (t/h) for 1034, 912 and Dolichos lablab accessions, respectively. These promising lablab accessions have wide adaptability and best compatible for intercropping. As follow up, 1034 and 912 lablab accessions were in farm trial, selected for intercropping with maize under irrigated lands to evaluate their contribution biomass production and adoptability. The selected legumes were row intercropped into maize and the average fresh biomass yield of maize was 18 kg under irrigated lands. The total average fresh biomass harvested from a single 10 X 10 m plot size was 18, 32 and 33 kg, for T 1, T 2 and T 3, respectively. The mean change in total fresh biomass yield for lablab accession 912 and 1034 was 19.75 and 15.75 kg, respectively. Based on the field observation lablab accession #912 has performed best during the trial period. Hence, the total fresh biomass harvested from intercropped lablab accessions has increased up to 49% and higher in total fresh biomass harvested in sole maize plots. In general, the tendency for adoption of the forage legumes was higher as compared to other forage species.

Breeding potential of lablab [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet]: a review on characterization and bruchid studies towards improved production and utilization in Africa

“…Several plant parts can be consumed as food i.e. seeds, immature grains, green pods, leaves, biscuits (Davari et al 2018;Habib et al 2017;Kilonzi et al 2017;Rana et al 2021), animal feed (Murphy et al 1999), to improve soil fertility (Gebreyowhens 2017;Qamar et al 2014;Sitienei et al 2017) and in the form of green manure (Okumu et al 2018). The latest research findings report the effectiveness of lablab bean extracts being able to impede infections of viral diseases such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 which has been described as a world pandemic (Liu et al 2020).…”