MAIZE – ORANGE-FLESHED SWEETPOTATO (OFSP) INTERCROPPING:

POTENTIAL FOR USE TO ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY AND THE SCALING-UP NUTRITION EFFORT IN MALAWI

Putri E Abidin, F.C. Chipungu, T. Nyekanyeka, T. Chilanga, I. Benesi, O. Mwenye, J. Kazembe, B. Botha and E. E.

CareyMALAWI GOVERNMENT

Prepared by

Naivasha, Kenya, 30th June to 4th July 2013

Presentation outline

Background, challenges, opportunities

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Concluding Remarks

Challenges in Malawi

Climate change –maize is a staple food

Declining soil fertilitypicture: finger millet

Small sized landholding

High levels of poverty, under-nutritionand 59 %VAD under 5 years

Challenges in Malawi

Food diversification is in the core of Agriculture’s policy The SUN 1000 Special Days initiative was launched in July 2011High population hard working people potential manpower and eager to adopt technology

OPPORTUNITIES IN MALAWI

Mzimba-Northern Region

Dedza - CentralMulanje-Southern Chikhwawa-Shire Valley - Southern

INTERCROPPING MAIZE + SWEETPOTATO IS COMMONLY PRACTICED BY RESOURCE-POOR FARMERS IN MALAWI

2010/2011 rainy season

2011/2012 rainy season

Crops: Sweetpotato: OFSP, Zondeni varietyMaize: SC 627 cultivar

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Treatments: strip and intra croppingT-1: 2 rows OFSP and 1 row maizeT-2: 1 row OFSP and 1 row maizeT-3: 1 row OFSP and 2 rows maizeT-4: Intra planting 3 plants OFSP and 1 plant maizeT-5: Sweetpotato pure standT-6: Maize pure stand

2 Seasons: 2010/12 & 2011/12 Planting distance:Within plants 30 cm; between rows 75 cm

Fertilizers: only for maize based on recommendation in Malawi

Location: on-station Bvumbwe Research Station, Blantyre

Harvests: Maize: 4MAP; OFSP: 5, 6, 7MAP

Data analysed by Genstat 2005Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was calculated

2010/2011 season 2011/2012 season Mean of seasons

Maize

wt shelled after drying (t/ha)

OFSP

wt marketable roots (t/ha)

Maize

wt shelled after drying (t/ha)

OFSP

wt marketable roots (t/ha)

Maize

wt shelled after drying (t/ha)

Treatment (OFSP plants:Maize plants/plot)

T1: 2 rows OFSP:1 row maize (260:140)

5.1 28.8 1.5 11 3.30

T2: 1 row OFSP:1 row maize (200:200)

5.3 21.2 1.7 12 3.56

T3: 1 row OFSP vs 2 rows maize (120:280)

4.6 19.5 1.8 17 3.22

T4: Intra 3 OFSP plants and 1 maize plant (300:100)

4.1 26.5 1.2 12 2.71

T5: OFSP monoculture (400:0) - - - 12

T6: Maize monoculture (0:400) - - 2.3 -

P-value ** * * * (*)LSD 0.8 6.66 0.6 3.5 (0.529)Block (Maize) or Harvest (OFSP)

B1 or H1: 5 MAP 4.7 10.8 1.6 10 3.09B2 or H2: 6 MAP 4.8 15.9 2.0 13 3.30B3 or H3: 7 MAP - 45.2 1.4 15 -P-value Ns ** (*) ** nsLSD 5% 5.74 (0.4) 2.7Grand mean 4.8 24 1.7 13 3.20cv (%) 10 28.3 25.2 28.6 24

Yields of maize (4 MAP) and OFSP cv. Zondeni (5, 6 and 7 MAP) in intercropping arrangements evaluated during 2 seasons at Bvumbwe Research Station, Malawi(** highly significant at <0.01, LSD 5%; * significant at <0.05, LSD 5%; brackets: p-value<0.1, LSD 10%; ns = non-significant)

No. of marketable roots per plot (plant)

Wt. marketable roots (t/ha)

Total Yield storage roots (t/ha)

Treatment (SP plants/plot)T1: 2 rows OFSP : 1 row maize (260) 359 (1.38) 19.9 23.1T2: 1 row OFSP : 1 row maize (200) 345 (1.73) 16.7 19.2T3: 1 row OFSP : 2 rows maize (120) 278 (2.32) 18.0 20.4T4: Intra 3 OFSP plants : 1 maize plant (300) 387 (1.29) 19.3 21.5

P-value ** ns nsLSD 59.6 - -Environment (Harvest)H1: 5 MAP 304 10.6 12.3H2: 6 MAP 399 14.5 16.7H3: 7 MAP 323 30.3 34.1P-value (*) ** **LSD (73.6) 7.16 7.88Season2010/2011 rainy season 323 24.0 27.32011/2012 rainy season 361 13.0 14.7P-value ns ** **LSD - 2.52 5.56Grand mean 342 18.5 21.0cv (%) 41.4 42.1 42.2

Mean yields of OFSP cv. Zondeni harvested at 5, 6 and 7 MAP, intercropping with maize in four spatial arrangements over 2010/2011 and 2011/2012

(** highly significant at p-value<0.01, LSD 5%; * significant at p-value<0.05,LSD 5%; brackets: p-value<0.1, LSD 10%; and ns = non-significant)

Treatment

2010/2011 Season

2011/2012 Season

No. of Respondents

Rank No. of Respondents

Rank

T1: 2 rows ofsp : 1 row maize

13 2 19 1

T2: 1 row ofsp : 1 row maize 12 3 6 2T3: 1 row ofsp : 2 row maize 24 1 4 4T4: Intra 3 ofsp plants: 1 maize plant

3 4 0 6

T5: ofsp Monoculture - - 5 3T6: Maize Monoculture - - 2 5

Opinions of respondents collected during the open days conducted in rainy season of 2010/2011(n=52) and 2011/2012 (n=36).

2:1 OFSP/ maize row

1:1 OFSP/ maize row

1:2 OFSP/ maize rows

3:1 OFSP/ maize plant

Sole Maize Sole OFSP

Year 1: 2010/2011 rainy seasonIncome from maize sale ($0.175/kg)*

312 464 564 179

Income from OFSP sale ($0.5/kg or $0.175/kg)*

9,360/3,276 5,300/1,855 2,925/1,024 9,938/3,478

Total variable cost 1743 1756 1770 1736Profit (when OFSP is at $0.5/kg or $0.175/kg)*

7,929/1,845 4,007/562 1,718/-183

8,381/1,921

Year 2: 2011/2012 rainy seasonIncome from maize sale ($0.167/kg)*

88 142 210 50 383

Income from OFSP sale ($0.33/kg or $0.167/kg)*

2,383/1,192 2,033/1017

1,650/

825

3,100/1,550

4,000/2,000

Total variable cost 1171 1183 1197 1163 1221 1144Profit (when OFSP is at $0.33/kg or $0.167/kg)*

1,300/109

992/-24

663/-162

1,987/437

-838 2,856/856

Income and profit per intercropped (USD) from intercropping maize and OFSP Zondeni during 2 rainy seasons in Malawi

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Strip intercropping of maize and sweetpotato appears to have considerable potential to contribute to

crop diversification, cropping system intensification and sustainability, farm profitability and household food and nutrition security in increasingly risk-prone maize production systems in Malawi

Further intercropping studies with orange-fleshed sweetpotato, maize, soybeans and onion using participatory approaches under on-farm conditions are recommended.

Acknowledgement

Thank you very much for your attention!

grasshoppers Sweetpotatoleaves

OFSP roots

For support toward promoting OFSP

development & promotion in Malawi

A healthy local food IRISH AID, Malawi Government, Implementing PartnersFarmers