Shrub legume green manure intercropped with maize preceding organic snap bean cultivation

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate strategies for growing pigeon pea and tephrosia intercropped with maize in different spatial arrangements for green manure in organic snap bean farming in succession. The experimental design was a randomized block, in a 2x3 + 1 factorial scheme, corresponding to the two species and the cropping system (monocropping; intercropping with sowing in the same row or between rows). The treatments consisted of pigeon pea and tephrosia monocropping, pigeon pea or tephrosia intercropped with maize in the same planting furrow, pigeon pea or tephrosia intercropped with maize between rows, and maize monocropping (control). After cutting the pre-crops, snap beans were sown. The authors verified that the introduction of shrub leguminous plants in intercropping did not interfere with the phytotechnical characteristics of maize. The tephrosia monocropping and the intercropping of this species with maize, regardless of sowing location, provided, respectively, the highest productivities of pods and dry beans of snap beans, compared with pigeon pea pre-cropping.