Cereal-based intercropping systems for the West African semi-arid tropics, particularly Upper Volta

Stoop, W.A. (1981) Cereal-based intercropping systems for the West African semi-arid tropics, particularly Upper Volta. In: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Intercropping, 10-13 January, 1979, Hyderabad, India.

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Abstract

The West-African semi-arid tropics are characterized by a rainy season of 3-6 months with often erratic, high-intensity rainfall showers and fragile, low-fertility, sandy soils, which are sensitive to acidification by acid fertilizers and to erosion by wind and water. The traditional cereal/legume cropping systems based on photosensitive tall, tillering sorghum and millet cv. in combination with photosensitive spreading cowpea, are well adapted to early sowing and thus provide an effective soil coverage early in the season. Moreover, with the aid of various crop combinations e.g., millet/cowpea or sorghum/cowpea, the full length of the season both for poor, shallow and for good, deep soils is utilized. With the introduction of improved sorghum, millet and cowpea cv., often with very different plant types and maturity cycles to the local materials, it is possible to develop more productive cereal/cowpea cropping systems. However, it is important that such improved cropping systems also have the stability typical of the traditional system. This involves, among other things, adaptation to different major soil types (shallow and deep soils), effective soil coverage, and yield stability even at fairly low plant populations

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Author Affiliation:	Agronomist, Nations Unit, B.P. 1165, Ouagadougou, Upper Volta
Subjects:	Plant Production Plant Production > Croping Systems
Divisions:	Groundnut Millet Sorghum
Depositing User:	Ms K Syamalamba
Date Deposited:	07 Feb 2013 08:21
Last Modified:	07 Feb 2013 08:21
URI:	http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/9564

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