Yield and nutrient concentrations of organic cherry tomatoes and legumes grown in intercropping systems in rotation with maize

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the productivity and nutrient concentrations of organic cherry tomatoes and leguminous green manures grown in intercropping systems in rotation with maize. The experimental design was a complete randomised block design with five replications and eight treatments, as follows: monocrop of cherry tomato adding residual maize crop residue (straw) as a mulch (control), monocrop of cherry tomato without the addition of maize crop residue (control), cherry tomatoes intercropped with jack bean, sun hemp, dwarf velvet bean, mung bean, white lupin or cowpea bean grown as green manures. In this production system, which was evaluated between 2011 and 2013, maize was cultivated from January to April, and the cherry tomatoes, with or without leguminous green manures, were grown from May/July to November/December. The number and weight of total and marketable fruits of tomatoes were 70% – 88% higher in 2011 than in 2012 and the number of damaged fruits was 12% lower in 2011 than in 2012. In 2011, the weights of total and marketable fruits in the intercropping treatment with white lupin were lower than that in the controls and in the intercropping treatments with dwarf velvet and cowpea bean. The white lupin and sun hemp green manures produced the highest biomass dry weight, followed by the jack bean, cowpea bean, mung bean and dwarf velvet bean. The different treatments had no effect on the yield of the maize.