My dataset_Intercropping millet cowpea.xlsx

In this study the HKP (Heini Kirey Precoce) millet variety, which has a 90-day cycle, created by INRAN (Niger National Institute for Agronomic Research), has been intercropped with two genotypes of cowpea. The cowpea genotypes used are ISV128 which has an average cycle (90 days) created by ICRISAT Niger, and Tiligré (75 days) created by INERA Burkina (Institute for Environment and Agricultural Research). The choice of these two genotypes is based on the fact that the two are dual-purpose: seed and fodder production (Toudou et al., 2016). Each of the millet and cowpea species in the intercropping is compared with its reference sole crop. The experimental design was laid out in split-plot with three replications. The main plot comprised cultural practices, (i): application of fertilizer micro-dosing i.e, 3.6 g of NPK (15-15-15) per pocket of millet both in intercropping and sole crop and 0.2 g DAP per pocket of cowpea in sole crop, and (ii): control without any fertilizer input. Each large plot is subdivided into 2 subblocks where millet and cowpea genotypes are distributed randomly in the intercropping and in a sole crop in an elementary plot with an area of 12 m2 (4 m × 3 m) each other. The successive elementary plots are spaced one meter apart and the replication two meters apart. Millet was sown on July 11 in 2020, and on July 5 in 2021 with a spacing between the pockets of 80 cm and a spacing between the rows of 75 cm for a density of 16 666.66 plants.ha-1. In the intercropping, cowpea was sown on the same day as the millet at the rate of 5 seeds per pocket, by alternating one row of millet with two rows of cowpea. The spacing between the cowpea pockets was 30 cm and 50 cm between rows i.e, a density of 106 666.67 plants.ha-1. Each elementary plot contains 5 rows of millet and 8 rows of cowpea. Millet and cowpea were thinned, respectively, at three plants and two plants per pocket 21 days after sowing. Cowpea and millet were sown at the same density in the intercropping and sole crops. The same positions of cowpea varieties were kept in the plots in 2020 and 2021. Fertilizer micro-dosing application for millet was made according to (Aune and Bationo 2008, Ibrahim et al., 2015) which consists of the application of 60 Kg. ha-1 of NPK 15-15-15 (equivalent to 9 kg N. ha-1, 4 kg P. ha-1 and 7.47 kg K.ha-1) at sowing, i.e., 3.6 g per pocket of millet in intercropping and sole crop, and 0 g for the controls. In intercropping, cowpea was grown without no fertilizer micro-dosing application. For sole cowpea, micro-fertilization consisted of the application of 20 kg of DAP (18-46-0) equivalent (at 4 kg of P.ha-1, and 3.6 kg N.ha-1) i.e., 0, 2 g per pocket and 0 g for the controls.