Corn yield and soil properties in Cotabato as influenced by the living mulch Arachis pintoi

Issue Date

12-2007

Abstract

Most of the corn production areas in Cotabato Province are highly degraded for decades of constant cultivation and no replenishment of organic materials lost from the field. Farmers often think of the immediate benefits but they fail to nourish the soil. The productivity of the corn areas is uncertain and depends only on the amount of external inputs added. In farm surveys and interviews conducted, most farmers rated soil erosion and degradation and high cost of inputs as their major farm problems. About 85% of the farmers use chemical inputs and practice monocropping with corn. Field trials that involved 2 corn croppings were conducted in Langkong, Kidapawan and Parang soils of Alamada and Pigcawayan municipalities in Cotabato to determine the benefits of living mulches on corn yield and soil properties. In the first cropping, the highest corn grain yield of 2.20 tons/ha was obtained in treatment plots with the perennial peanut (Arachis pontoi) as a living mulch but with full fertilizer dosage and the lowest was from copea mulch plot, unfertilized, with 0.74 tons/ha yield. In the second cropping the highest yield was again from the mulched plot with full fertilizer dosage, and the lowest net income was from plots with mulch with half dose of fertilizer, followed by unfertilized plots. The mulch improved soil properties, particularly soil fertility. At the end of 240 days, organic matter and available phosphorus in the soil with living mulch increased markedly but there was no dinstinct change in nitrogen and potassium. Bulk density decreased considerably. At 240days, the plot with no mulch was the most severely eroded. There was no erosion in plots with only cut grass weeds as mulch. A. pontoi was proven to be an outstanding living mulch for corn due to the following reasons: its quick growth, coverage of the ground against torrential rain, substantial nutrients for the corn crop accumulated through its biomass, tolerance to intense shading, its reduction of the weed population, and not providing competition to the main crop (corn) for light, space and nutrients, hence no yield reduction for the main crop. The production cost for corn was reduced by 50%, improving profitability at every cropping.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Crop Science

ISSN

0115-463x

Volume

32

Issue

3

Page

59-68

Document Type

Article

Frequency

tri-quarterly

Physical Description

tables

Language

English

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