Imogie, A.E., Ugbah, M.M., Eruaga, A., Nwawe, A., Uche, C.O., Aondona, O., Ogundipe, O.A., Urhibo, F.A. and Ufinome, O.E. |
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR),
Benin City, Nigeria to investigate the effects of spacing of oil palm that will allow
permanent intercropping of arable crops with oil palm. The experiment was laid out
in randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were
composed of four oil palm densities (77, 69, 56 and 46 palms per hectare) with
maize, cassava and melon as food intercrops from 2010 to 2016. The parameters
measured included oil palm canopy spread, oil palm fresh fruit bunch yield (FFB),
maize grain yield, cassava tuber production, and melon yield. Data collected were
subjected to analysis of variance and their means tested using the least significant
difference at 5% level of probability. Results indicated that spacing significantly
influenced fresh fruit and food crop yields. The wider the space between palms, the
higher the food crop population that could be intercropped, and the yield from the
food crops. However for the oil palm the higher the palm space the smaller or fewer
the palm population which also influenced the fresh fruit bunch production. Highest
maize grain yield (3.5 ton /ha), cassava tuber production (26.1 ton / ha), and melon
yield (156.7 kg / ha) were obtained at the palm spacing of 9m x 24m from 2010 to
2016, while the least grain yield (1.8 ton / ha), cassava tuber production (15.5 ton /
ha), and melon yield (87.6 kg / ha) were obtained at the palm spacing of 9m x 16m
from 2010 to 2016. It was therefore concluded that for permanent or continuous
intercropping of oil palm with food crops oil palm spacing of 9m x 24m should be
adopted. |
