Abstract

A. U. Gbanguba, U. Ismaila, M. G. M. Kolo and A. Umar

A trial was carried out at the lowland experimental field of National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi, Nigeria during the cropping seasons of 2005 and 2006 to determine the effect of preceding lowland rice with cassava/legume intercrop in the dry season on weed dynamics and rice grain yield. The treatments consisted of FARO 52 rice variety cultivated after cassava ( IIT 427 and Bida local ) intercropped with Mucuna pruriens, Soybean TGX 1019 – 2EN and Cowpea IAR 48 and sole cassava ( IIT 427 and Bida local ) and fallow as the control. The treatments were factorials combined and arranged in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times each year. The results indicated that the least weed dry matter and percentage weed cover score were obtained when rice was cropped after cassava IIT 427 intercropped with M. pruriens, also in plots where cassava Bida local was intercropped with M. pruriens. The highest weed dry matter and occurrence of troublesome weeds such as Leersia hexandra, Echinochloa colona and Echinochloa stagnina were recorded in rice grown after fallow. The highest grain was obtained in rice cultivated after cassava cowpea intercrop.