Africa Rising Tanzania - Intensifying Maize-based cropping systems through Pigeonpea integrations

Yield advantages in intercropping is determined by the net effects of positive (facilitative and complementarity) interactions and mitigating negative (competitive) interactions. Pigeonpea plants have both physiological and morphological attributes that may reduce interspecific competition in mixed culture. The initial slow growth of pigeonpea relative to cereals minimizes competition in intercropping systems, making pigeonpea compatible with most cereal-based systems. In semi-arid areas, however, growing seasons are increasingly becoming shorter because of low and sporadic rainfall. Consequently, yield of intercropped pigeonpea may be adversely affected by competition, if farmers do not use appropriate agronomic practices. Pigeonpea is a fairly new legume crop in Kongwa and Kiteto districts, requiring both adaptability studies and agronomy studies particularly for sustainable intensification purposes. Thus, this study is being carried out to assess the component interactions and their impacts on farm productivity in order to provide guidelines for optimizing yields of maize and pigeonpea in semi-arid climates of Central Tanzania.