Agronomic Evaluation of Performance of Sesame Varieties in Maize-based Intercropping System in the Southern Guinean Savanna of Nigeria

Aims: Field experiments were conducted to determine compatibility of sesame varieties for intercropping with maize.

Study Design: The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: Teaching and Research Farm, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, southern guinea savanna area of Nigeria during the 2010 and 2011 cropping seasons.

Methodology: The treatments included Sole maize (Oba Super 1 variety), five sole sesame varieties (E-8, O3l, O1m, O2 m, Exotic-Sudan) and their intercrops, making a total of eleven treatments. Sole maize was planted at a spacing of 75 cm x 25 cm. For intercrops, maize was planted at a spacing of 100 cm x 25 cm and sesame seeds were planted at a spacing of 100 cm x 10 cm such that sesame row alternated maize row. Maize was planted first and sesame was introduced two weeks after.

Results: Intercropping maize with sesame varieties significantly (P = 0.05) reduced number of pods and grain yield of sesame varieties in both years. However, variety O2m produced grain yield in the intercrop similar to the mono crop. Generally, Intercropping sesame with maize significantly reduced the grain yield of maize by 36% compared to the sole crop. Exotic-Sudan varieties caused the highest percentage yield reduction (52%). Sesame varieties O2m and O3l were the only varieties whose yield advantage in intercropping with maize had land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.28 and 1.18 while other varieties had values less than 1 indicating yield advantage of O2m and O3l with maize. The relative crowding coefficient (K) value of maize (4.98) was higher than sesame (0.44) thus indicating its dominance in the mixture.

Conclusion: It is concluded that the prospective sesame farmers could grow varieties O2m and O3l in place of the popular E-8 because intercropping with maize did not affect their performances in both years.