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- Crop-hedgerow Competition in an Alley Cropping System
Crop-hedgerow Competition in an Alley Cropping System
Thesis Abstract:
The competition for light, soil moisture, and nutrient between hedgerow trees and crops was studied in an alley cropping. Gliricidia sepium was used as hedgerow with mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) and corn (Zea mays) as a lley crops for dry and wet season, respectively. Hedgerow pruning interval of 30. 60, and 90 days, plastic root barrier and row pos itions relative to the hedgerow were the factors in a splitsplit-plot in randomized complete block design. Light reaching the alley crops were reduced owing to unpruned hedgerow canopy. There were no significant differences in soil chemical properties at 0-20 em layer before and after the experiment, irrespective of treatments, except for the increase in pH and available phosphorus. The pruning interval and root barrier did not affect the soil chemical properties and soil moisture content.
The growth and biomass yield of the hedgerow in both dry and wet season were s ignificantly higher with increasing hedgerow pruning interval. The highest biomass and dry matter yield were obtained at 90 days pruning interval in dry season and 60 days in wet season. However, root barrier reduced biomass production of the hedge trees.
The plant height, leaf area index (LAI), mung bean pod and grain yield, corn dry stover, and fresh ear yield between, with and without root barrier treatments, did not differ significantly. However, a trend toward better performance of crops with root barrier treatments was evident.
The growth and yield of mung bean and corn were significantly affected by row ·position relative to the hedgerow. The poorest performance of these alley crops was obtained at rows nearest to the hedgerow.
Mung bean plant height in the rows close to the hedgerow was suppressed by 20-30 percent at both the upper and lower sides of the hedgerow. The mung bean LAI reduced by 20 percent. However, only the pod and grain yield of mung bean at the nearest row to the downslope hedgerow was significantly reduced by 32 percent. In this study, the experimental area has a relatively fertile soil and high availability of soil moisture during cropping seasons. Therefore, the reduction of light reaching the main crop caused by the hedgerow canopy was the primary reason for poor performance of alley crops close to the hedgerow. Thus, a more detailed study on light competition in alley cropping system was recommended.