Do intercropping and mineral nitrogen fertilizer affect weed community structures in low-input maize-based cropping systems?

Namatsheve Talent, Cardinael Rémi, Chikowo Régis, Corbeels Marc, Tatenda Rugare Joyful, Mabasa Stanford, Ripoche Aude. 2024. Do intercropping and mineral nitrogen fertilizer affect weed community structures in low-input maize-based cropping systems?. Crop Protection, 176:106486, 11 p.

Résumé : Weeds are a major threat to crop growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly in low-input cropping systems. We investigated the effect of different cropping systems and nitrogen fertilizer on weed infestation during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 cropping seasons in Goromonzi district, Zimbabwe. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if and how weed composition and structure are affected by intercropping maize with either an improved or landrace cowpea variety compared to sole crops of maize and of improved or landrace cowpea; (2) if and how weed composition and structure are affected by nitrogen fertilization; and (3) how the subsequent changes in weed infestation affect grain yield. Weed parameters were measured at different dates during the cropping cycle, and grain yield was measured at harvest. Significant differences were observed for the density of the 21 weed species collected in two seasons; seven of these weed species had a relative density exceeding 5%. Significantly more weeds were recorded in sole maize compared to sole cowpea. Intercropping significantly reduced the density of C. benghalensis. In sole crops, application of mineral nitrogen fertilizer significantly affected weed density, diversity, richness, and groundcover. Maize grain yield was independent of weed biomass and density, in both sole crops and intercrops. However, increase in weed biomass significantly reduced cowpea yield. Our results suggest that growing sole cowpea reduces weed infestation, therefore, cowpea should be considered as one of the options for effective weed control in subsistence farming communities, where access to herbicides is lacking.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : mauvaise herbe, culture intercalaire, engrais azoté, désherbage, fertilisation, système de culture, rendement des cultures, engrais minéral, herbicide, Zea mays, Vigna unguiculata

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Zimbabwe

Mots-clés libres : Intercropping, Sub-Saharan Africa, Weeds, Yield, Agroecology

Classification Agris : F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture
H60 - Mauvaises herbes et désherbage
F04 - Fertilisation

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

Agences de financement hors UE : Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement

Projets sur financement : (FRA) Soil2Crop

Auteurs et affiliations

• Namatsheve Talent, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NOR) - auteur correspondant
• Cardinael Rémi, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR AIDA (ZWE) ORCID: 0000-0002-9924-3269
• Chikowo Régis, University of Zimbabwe (ZWE)
• Corbeels Marc, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR AIDA (KEN)
• Tatenda Rugare Joyful, University of Zimbabwe (ZWE)
• Mabasa Stanford, University of Zimbabwe (ZWE)
• Ripoche Aude, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR AIDA (REU)

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/606975/)

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