Scientific Publication

Adoption potential of hedgerow intercropping in maize-based cropping systems in the highlands of western Kenya. 1. Background and agronomic evaluation. Experimental Agriculture

author(s) Ndufa J K - Ohlsson E L - Sjogren H - Swinkels R A - Shepherd K D
from World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
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themes
regions
  • Eastern Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Africa
  • World
citation

Ndufa J K et al., 'Adoption potential of hedgerow intercropping in maize-based cropping systems in the highlands of western Kenya. 1. Background and agronomic evaluation. Experimental Agriculture', 1997

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Abstract

The biophysical performance of hedgerow inter-cropping for soil fertility improvement was assessed in a farmer-participatory trial in western Kenya over three years. Farmers successfully established dense hedgerows (median 6680 trees ha71on plots of 790 m2, but annual yields of hedgerow prunings of Leucaena leucocephala and Calliandra calothyrsus (1±4 t ha 71), were low compared to potentials in the region (4±8 t ha 7 1 ). The hedgerows reduced slopes from 7.2 to 4.5% within alleys ( p 5 0.01) but had no e?ect on grain yield over Æve seasons. Little of the variation in grain yield between hedgerow plots and control plots without hedgerows (adjusted r 2 = 11%) and among control plots (adjusted r 2 = 29%) could be accounted for by linear regression with measured agronomic and socio-economic variables. Fully researcher-managed trials are recommended for agronomic evaluation of complex agroforestry technologies

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