intercropping maize and mungbean to intensify summer cropping systems in qld, australia. joseph eyre
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A presentation at the WCCA 2011 event in Brisbane.TRANSCRIPT
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Intercropping maize and mungbean to intensify summer cropping
systems in Queensland, Australia
Joseph Eyre
Richard Routley
Daniel Rodriguez
John Dimes
2© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
SIMLESA aims at increasing farm-household food security and productivity, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable maize-
legume farming systems
30% increase in maize yields and 30% reduction in risk 500,000 households over the next 10 years
Improved range of maize and legume varieties available for smallholders
Socio-economic characterization
Input and output
value chain
Whole farm resource
allocations
More productive, resilient and sustainable smallholder
maize-legume practices, tactics
and strategies
Scaling out and capacity building
Project background
3© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Project background
Similar agro-ecologies
4© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Objective:
The sustainable intensification of cropping with an emphasis on maize
and legumes
5© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
How intensify?
6© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Maize
Intensifying resource use
Legume
Double cropping
7© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Maize
Legume
Intensifying resource use Intercropping
8© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Maize
Legume
Intensifying resource use Relay cropping
9© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Intercropping 2010-2011
• 2 by 2 row replacement intercropping– Suitable for mechanisation– No opportunity for relay
• Maize-mungbean– Opportunities to increase maize
production in Qld• Light competition managed with
multiple maize population densities
10© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Materials & Methods
• cv. Emerald and cv. 34N43 (CRM 110) sown 1/2/2011 at Gatton RS• 0.75 m rows in Nth-Sth orientation• Nitrogen (150 Kg/Ha N) and rain fed (water unlimited)• 2, 2 row replacement intercropping with consistent intra row plant
spacing– Sole Mungbean (Mb) 20 pl/m2
– Sole Maize (Mz) 2 pl/m2
– Sole Mz 4 pl/m2
– Sole Mz 8 pl/m2
– Intercropped Mb 10 pl/m2 Mz 1 pl/m2 – Intercropped Mb 10 pl/m2 Mz 2 pl/m2 – Intercropped Mb 10 pl/m2 Mz 4 pl/m2
• Soil water and light interception monitored intensively• 4 replicates (blocks)• 4.5 m2 harvest area
11© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Maize population density– Yield plateau 4-8 plants/m2 monoculture– No plateau for intercropped maize?
Population density (plants/m2)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Yie
ld (
t/H
a)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Sole maizeIntercropped maize
l.s.d. (p=0.05)
12© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Maize intra-specific competition; Land use Equivalence Ratio (LER)– Intercropped maize more land efficient (Partial LER>0.5)
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole 7.35a
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole 6.85a
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole 4.80b
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 5.14b 0.70a
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 3. 92c 0.58b
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 2.62d 0.55b
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.63 0.04
IC 16.5 cm intra row (t/ha)
Sole 16.5 cm intra row (t/ha) = Partial LER
13© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Maize intra-specific competition– Intercropped maize more land efficient (Partial LER>0.5)– Maize is more susceptible to intra-specific competition
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole 7.35a
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole 6.85a
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole 4.80b
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 5.14b 0.70a
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 3. 92c 0.58b
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 2.62d 0.55b
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.63 0.04
14© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Maize yields; intercropped vs. sole– Intercropped maize more land efficient (partial LER>0.5)– Maize is more susceptible to intraspecific competition– Intercropping can’t compensate for reduced land area
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole 7.35a
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole 6.85a
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole 4.80b
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 5.14b 0.70a
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 3. 92c 0.58b
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 2.62d 0.55b
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.63 0.04
≠
15© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Maize yields; intercropped vs. sole– Intercropped maize more land efficient (partial LER>0.5)– Maize is more susceptible to intraspecific competition– Intercropping can’t compensate for reduced land area
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole 7.35a
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole 6.85a
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole 4.80b
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 5.14b 0.70a
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 3. 92c 0.58b
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 2.62d 0.55b
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.63 0.04
≠
16© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Mungbean yields; intercropped vs. sole – High sole crop yield
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole 2.40a
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.73d
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.89c
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 1.07b
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.59
17© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Mungbean yields; intercropped vs. sole – High sole crop yield– Intercropping reduced mungbean yield partly due to population
decreases
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole 2.40a 12ab
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.73d 8c
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.89c 10bc
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 1.07b 13a
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.59 3
18© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Mungbean competition; intercropped vs. sole – High sole crop yield– Intercropping reduced mungbean yield partly due to population
decreases – Susceptible to interspecific competition (Partial LER<0.5)
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.30c
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.37b
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.45a
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.02
19© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Preliminary results
• Total LER; intercropped vs. sole – No effect of maize population– Similar land area could produce both crops in monoculture
Treatment Yield (t/ha) Yield (g/plant) Partial LER Total
Mz Mb Total Mz Mb Mz Mb LER
Mb 20 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 8 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 2 pl/m2 Sole
Mz 4 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.70a 0.30c 1.00a
Mz 2 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.58b 0.37b 0.95a
Mz 1 & Mb 10 pl/m2 IC 0.55b 0.45a 0.99a
l.s.d. (P = 0.05) 0.04 0.02 n.s.
20© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Conclusions
• Intercropped maize is more land efficient than sole maize, but can’t completely compensate for decreased area
• Mungbean is susceptible to competition from maize
Future research• Investigate novel temporal (i.e. relay cropping) and spatial arrangements to
manage intra- & inter-specific competition
• Famer interest in wheat-mungbean, millet-mungbean, & sorghum-chickpea relay
21© The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2011
Acknowledgements
DEEDI
James McLean
Richard Routley
John Dimes
Solomon Fekybelu
Aldo Zeppa
Scott Geddes
QAAFI Daniel Rodriguez