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A study was carried out at Gairo, Tanzania to determine appropriate planting
spacing and cutting management for optimising maize yield without jeorpadising the potential of Moringa oleifera to produce sufficient biomass. Two trials (on-farm spacing-intercropping and on-farm pollarding height-intercropping) were laid out using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Assessments were done at tree
ages of 6, 12, and18 for the spacing trial and at tree ages of 6, 12, 18, 24 and 3
months for the pollarding trial. Grain weights were measured on a yearly basis
(seasons). Plot means for all response variables were subjected to standard
Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) and significant means were separated by Duncan’s
Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Results for the spacing trial showed that, overall all
growth parameters increased significantly with spacing, and tree growth was
generally higher in monoculture compared to intercropped plots. During the last
assessment, foliar and stem biomass ranged from 571.57 kg/ha for maize+150cmpollarding height to 682.15 kg/ha for maize+50 cm pollarding height and from 181.72kg/ha for 150 cm pollarding height to 254.29 kg/ha for maize+100 cm pollardingheight respectively. Moringa intercropping is recommended to be done only duringthe first cropping season, due to severe competition thereafter. |
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