Productivity and biological N2-fixation in cereal-cowpea intercropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa. A review

Namatsheve Talent, Cardinael Rémi, Corbeels Marc, Chikowo Régis. 2020. Productivity and biological N2-fixation in cereal-cowpea intercropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 40 (4):30, 12 p.

Url - jeu de données - Dataverse Cirad : https://doi.org/10.18167/DVN1/DXDR1R

Résumé : Intercropping is a common practice among farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, regarded as a sustainable way of improving land productivity to meet food and nutritional requirements for a growing population, especially in marginal areas. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is often intercropped with major cereal crops, maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucumL.R.Br). Here we conducted a systematic literature review on cowpea intercropped with maize, sorghum or pearl millet reported in sub-Saharan Africa with the objectives (i) to determine yield and productivity of component crops and (ii) to quantify biological N2-fixation in sole or intercrops. We retrieved 60 unique publications combining 1196, 998 and 25 observations of yields, land productivity and N2-fixation, respectively, for crops grown as intercrops and monocrops. The major results are as follows: (1) land productivity of cowpea intercropped with maize, sorghum and pearl millet is favourable, with average land equivalent ratios of 1.42 ± 0.47, 1.26 ± 0.35 and 1.30 ± 0.32, respectively; (2) no significant differences between the proportion of nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) for sole or intercropped cowpea were found, with average values of 56.00 ± 4.89 and 46.62 ± 7.05, respectively; (3) however, the total amount of fixed nitrogen was higher in cowpea monocropping systems due to higher biomass production; nitrogen fixation was 57 kg N ha−1 and 36 kg N ha−1 in monocrops and intercrops respectively. We conclude that cereal-cowpea intercropping is a pathway for intensification for the low nutrient input systems of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Our review also suggests potential for improvement of these systems, based on the choice of the associated varieties, planting patterns and sowing time, cowpea leaf harvesting as a vegetable, and fertilization.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : Vigna unguiculata, Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Cenchrus americanus, culture intercalaire, petite exploitation agricole, agriculture familiale, exploitation agricole familiale, rendement des cultures, Fixation biologique de l'azote, Fixation de l'azote, taux d'efficacité unité terre

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Afrique au sud du Sahara

Mots-clés libres : Intercropping, Yield, Land Equivalent Ratio, Nitrogen fixation, Sub-Saharan Africa

Classification Agris : F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture
P35 - Fertilité du sol

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 2 (2019-) - Transitions agroécologiques

Auteurs et affiliations

• Namatsheve Talent, University of Zimbabwe (ZWE)
• Cardinael Rémi, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR AIDA (ZWE) ORCID: 0000-0002-9924-3269 - auteur correspondant
• Corbeels Marc, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR AIDA (KEN)
• Chikowo Régis, University of Zimbabwe (ZWE)

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/596291/)

Métriques

[ Page générée et mise en cache le 2024-04-19 ]