Reduce heat stress in cowpea through intercropping with millet - IntercropVALUES Practice Abstract

Summary

Millet is taller than cowpea and creates a shading effect. Their growth cycle length is similar, so they can be harvested together and easily separated.
Practical recommendations
Crop variety used:
● Millet Panicum miliaceum var. VIR9181
● Cowpea Vigna Unguiculata var. Dolico Arcoiris
Sowing density:
● 30 kg/ha of millet (50%) with 80 kg/ha of cowpea (100%). Valid as legume in crop rotation plan.
Soil preparation:
● Two passes with a light disc harrow
Cultivation:
• Crops are sown in late June using a grain drill (12.5 cm row spacing). In two passes, millet is sown first, followed by cowpea at a slightly greater depth in alternate rows.
• The system involves no mechanical tillage, fertilisation, or phytosanitary treatments during the growing season.
Harvest:
• The crops are harvested together with a combine harvester.
• Millet and cowpea can easily be sorted using a seed cleaner (rotary cleaner, vibratory, or gravity separator) and sold for human consumption.
This intercropping also improves water management in heavy or compacted soils and allows for greater crop diversification at the farm level.