CLIMATE SMART INTERCROPPING BETWEEN CASSAVA AND COWPEA: A PANACEA FOR FOOD SECURITY

Abstract

Field trial was conducted at Adiabo, Odukpani, Cross River State to evaluate the yield of cassava varieties as affected by intercropped cowpea varieties during the 2024/2025 cropping season. Treatments comprised two varieties of cassava (TME 419 and Adiabo local) and two varieties of cowpea (Sampea 11 and Bida local). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated thrice. The entire plot size used for the experiment was 49m x 22m (1078m2) and each experimental plot measured 6m x 5m (30m2). The result indicated that intercropping cassava with cowpea had no significant (P<0.05) effect on all growth parameters of cowpea measured (plant height, number of leaves /plant, leaf area. Also, the number of pods per plant, number of seeds/pod were not significantly (P<0.05) affected by cassava/cowpea intercropping system while seed weight per pod and total grain yield (t/ha) were significantly (P<0.05) affected by cassava-cowpea mixtures. Furthermore, the result indicated that leaf area,1 and number of tubers/plants of cassava were not significantly (P<0.05) affected by cassava/cowpea intercropping system while plant height, number of leaves /plant, fresh weight of root and total root yield of cassava were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the intercropping system. The land equivalent ratios of all the intercropping plots were greater than 1, an indication of better land use efficiency of both crops. Therefore, the experiment showed that cassava is compatible with cowpea in an intercropping system and as such should be recommended to farmers subject to further trial arising from its yield advantage