Intercropping of sugar-cane with potato in Mauritius: A successful cropping system
| MSI99P0054 | |
| Govinden, N. | |
| Intercropping of sugar-cane with potato in Mauritius: A successful cropping system | |
| Periodical article | |
| 1990 | |
| Field Crops Res. | |
| 0378-4290 | |
| 25: 99-110 | |
| Special issue: Intercropping of the Potato in the Tropics - Proceedings of a Symposium, 14-26 June 1988, in Kunming, Chine. Edited by David J. Midmore | |
| En | |
| En | |
| The bulk of the potato in Mauritius is produced on sugar cane lands. Of the three potato-cropping systems practised in the country, this is by far the most important, accounting for about 77 per cent of potato production. The rest is produced in rotation with sugar cane. Both the corporate sector and small growers are involved in potato production, the former accounting for about 52 per cent of the production. About 42 per cent of the potato is produced by small growers who do not have land and who rent interrows of sugar cane from sugar estates. Potato is planted in every interrow of plant cane, and in alternate interrows of ratoon cane, and is harvested before the cane canopy closes. The potato does not reduce cane yields, nor does cane reduce potato yields. A package of husbandry practices has been developed and has been widely and rapidly adopted. The system is easy to manage, and most cultural practices are, or can be, mechanized. On the basis of total edible energy production, intercropping of potatoes estimated to be more productive than sole cane by 22 per cent. Land-equivalent ratio of the system is estimated to be more than 1.17, on average. Sugar-cane growers derive as much as 63 per cent more net returns from intercropping sugar-cane with potato than from sole-cropping of sugar-cane. To a large extent, this undoubtedly explains the popularity of the system. | |
| POTATOES INTERCROPPING SUGARCANE CROPPING SYSTEMS DIVERSIFICATION | |
| MAURITIUS | |
| Agricultural diversification | |
| Intercropping sugarcane/maize | |
| 1991-12-06 | |
| En | |
| Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute | |
| FC LIB | |
| CAT | |
| FC |