Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple grown worldwide including Cameroon, for its carbohydrate rich grains in addition to minerals and vitamins, therefore providing food for human consumption, and fodder for livestock. Production in Cameroon especially Buea which is the main hub is constraint by several factors among them, pests including the Fall Army Worm (FAW), Snail (Limicolaria sp.) and soil infertility are of high importance. The use of botanicals has been successful in mitigating pests on crops while intercropping economic crops with legumes increases soil fertility. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the efficacy of extract of Piper guineense on maize-okra, and maize-soybean intercropped on the incidence and severity of these pests and soil primary macronutrients. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated three times at the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea. FAW, snail incidence and severity, maize grain weight, and soil primary macronutrients were recorded. Data collected was subjected to statistical analysis (P< 0.05). FAW and snail incidence and severity differed significantly (P<0.05). FAW incidence was highest in the control (69.2%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (21.8%) while snail was highest in control (62.8%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (15.4%). The severity of fall armyworm was highest in control (41.3%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (12.7%), while that of snail was highest in control (18%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (4.3%). The maize grain yield differed significantly (P<0.05), with the highest in Maize + soybean + Piper (5.2 t/ha) and lowest in Maize + okra (2.8 t/ha). Total nitrogen differed significantly with the highest in Maize + soybean + Piper (0.19%) and lowest in Maize + okra (0.13%). Maize yield was positively correlated with total nitrogen (r = 0.77) and negatively correlated with maize pests (r = -0.73 for FAW, r = -0.76 for snail). Thus maize-soybean intercropping using Piper as insecticide is of high importance and a good sustainable alternative to synthetic inputs for maize pest control, optimizing primary macronutrient and maize yield.
Published in | Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 6) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14 |
Page(s) | 199-211 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Fall Armyworm, Snail, Nitrogen Fixation, Secondary Metabolites, Total Nitrogen
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APA Style
Tabi, O. T., Ekole, P. N., Achiri, T. D., Andoh, M. A., Bechem, E. E. T. (2024). Piper guineensis Extract in Maize-soybean, Maize-okra Intercropping Systems: Its Role in Mitigating Maize (Zea mays) Pests and Boosting Soil Fertility. Journal of Plant Sciences, 12(6), 199-211. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14
ACS Style
Tabi, O. T.; Ekole, P. N.; Achiri, T. D.; Andoh, M. A.; Bechem, E. E. T. Piper guineensis Extract in Maize-soybean, Maize-okra Intercropping Systems: Its Role in Mitigating Maize (Zea mays) Pests and Boosting Soil Fertility. J. Plant Sci. 2024, 12(6), 199-211. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14
@article{10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14, author = {Oben Tom Tabi and Paul Njanje Ekole and Tange Denis Achiri and Mbah Alma Andoh and Eneke Esoeyang Tambe Bechem}, title = {Piper guineensis Extract in Maize-soybean, Maize-okra Intercropping Systems: Its Role in Mitigating Maize (Zea mays) Pests and Boosting Soil Fertility }, journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences}, volume = {12}, number = {6}, pages = {199-211}, doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20241206.14}, abstract = {Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple grown worldwide including Cameroon, for its carbohydrate rich grains in addition to minerals and vitamins, therefore providing food for human consumption, and fodder for livestock. Production in Cameroon especially Buea which is the main hub is constraint by several factors among them, pests including the Fall Army Worm (FAW), Snail (Limicolaria sp.) and soil infertility are of high importance. The use of botanicals has been successful in mitigating pests on crops while intercropping economic crops with legumes increases soil fertility. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the efficacy of extract of Piper guineense on maize-okra, and maize-soybean intercropped on the incidence and severity of these pests and soil primary macronutrients. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated three times at the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea. FAW, snail incidence and severity, maize grain weight, and soil primary macronutrients were recorded. Data collected was subjected to statistical analysis (PPPiper (21.8%) while snail was highest in control (62.8%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (15.4%). The severity of fall armyworm was highest in control (41.3%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (12.7%), while that of snail was highest in control (18%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (4.3%). The maize grain yield differed significantly (PPiper (5.2 t/ha) and lowest in Maize + okra (2.8 t/ha). Total nitrogen differed significantly with the highest in Maize + soybean + Piper (0.19%) and lowest in Maize + okra (0.13%). Maize yield was positively correlated with total nitrogen (r = 0.77) and negatively correlated with maize pests (r = -0.73 for FAW, r = -0.76 for snail). Thus maize-soybean intercropping using Piper as insecticide is of high importance and a good sustainable alternative to synthetic inputs for maize pest control, optimizing primary macronutrient and maize yield. }, year = {2024} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Piper guineensis Extract in Maize-soybean, Maize-okra Intercropping Systems: Its Role in Mitigating Maize (Zea mays) Pests and Boosting Soil Fertility AU - Oben Tom Tabi AU - Paul Njanje Ekole AU - Tange Denis Achiri AU - Mbah Alma Andoh AU - Eneke Esoeyang Tambe Bechem Y1 - 2024/11/12 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14 DO - 10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14 T2 - Journal of Plant Sciences JF - Journal of Plant Sciences JO - Journal of Plant Sciences SP - 199 EP - 211 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2331-0731 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20241206.14 AB - Maize (Zea mays) is an important staple grown worldwide including Cameroon, for its carbohydrate rich grains in addition to minerals and vitamins, therefore providing food for human consumption, and fodder for livestock. Production in Cameroon especially Buea which is the main hub is constraint by several factors among them, pests including the Fall Army Worm (FAW), Snail (Limicolaria sp.) and soil infertility are of high importance. The use of botanicals has been successful in mitigating pests on crops while intercropping economic crops with legumes increases soil fertility. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the efficacy of extract of Piper guineense on maize-okra, and maize-soybean intercropped on the incidence and severity of these pests and soil primary macronutrients. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated three times at the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea. FAW, snail incidence and severity, maize grain weight, and soil primary macronutrients were recorded. Data collected was subjected to statistical analysis (PPPiper (21.8%) while snail was highest in control (62.8%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (15.4%). The severity of fall armyworm was highest in control (41.3%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (12.7%), while that of snail was highest in control (18%) and lowest in Maize + soybean + Piper (4.3%). The maize grain yield differed significantly (PPiper (5.2 t/ha) and lowest in Maize + okra (2.8 t/ha). Total nitrogen differed significantly with the highest in Maize + soybean + Piper (0.19%) and lowest in Maize + okra (0.13%). Maize yield was positively correlated with total nitrogen (r = 0.77) and negatively correlated with maize pests (r = -0.73 for FAW, r = -0.76 for snail). Thus maize-soybean intercropping using Piper as insecticide is of high importance and a good sustainable alternative to synthetic inputs for maize pest control, optimizing primary macronutrient and maize yield. VL - 12 IS - 6 ER -