The relative importance of competition for water and for light in intercropping of sugar cane with maize
| MSI99P0145 | |
| Govinden, N. Arnason, J. T. | |
| The relative importance of competition for water and for light in intercropping of sugar cane with maize | |
| Periodical article | |
| 1990 | |
| Agric. Water Manage. | |
| 0378-3774 | |
| 17(1-3): 233 | |
| Abstract only | |
| En | |
| En | |
| Two field trials were conducted to investigate the importance of competition for water relative to light in a mixed crop of plant sugarcane and maize. In the first trial under irrigation, the root systems of the component crops were separated by means of plastic partitions in the soil in order to prevent below-ground interactions. The partitions reduced maize growth and yield slightly but had no effect on sugarcane growth and yield. In the presence as well as absence of the partitions, the maize caused large reductions in the cane biomass, tiller number, cane stalk yield and sugar yield. Since below ground interactions had been prevented, all of the adverse effects of the maize on the cane were attributed to shading of the cane. In the second trial in the sub-humid zone, by withholding irrigation or by drip-irrigating at 2 frequencies, the crops were made to suffer from severe or mild water stress, or from no water stress. The response to irrigation of the intercropped maize did not benefit from water applied to the cane. In the first 16 weeks, when the maize was present in the mixture, the biomass and tillering of the intercropped cane were severely reduced under the rainfed as well as under the properly-irrigated conditions. This implies that water stress was not the cause of the reductions in growth. Some evidence was obtained from plant extension rate, a sensitive indicator of water stress in cane, that the intercropped cane may nevertheless have experienced more water stress than the monocultured cane. This need not have been caused by direct competition for water; it could have been indirect result of competition for light. In both trials, it was observed that although the growth of the cane was at first drastically reduced by the maize, it accelerated after the harvest and removal of the maize. The term "rattrapage" is proposed for this ability of sugarcane to offset initial setbacks in its growth. The results show that the maize competed with the cane for light and that, at first, the adverse effects on cane growth were not attenuated by an adequate supply of water. Later, when the maize was removed, an adequate supply of water was necessary to ensure rapid and complete "rattrapage" and hence, full cane yields. | |
| SUGARCANE MAIZE INTERCROPPING LIGHT IRRIGATION YIELDS WATER USE | |
| MAURITIUS | |
| Agricultural diversification | |
| Intercropping sugarcane/maize | |
| 1992-02-11 | |
| En | |
| Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute | |
| LIB BOT | |
| CAT | |
| FC |