ABSTRACT

Two field experiments were carried out at Umuana-Ibeku in Umuahia North LGA Abia State, in the 2016 early and late cropping seasons to determine the effect of cropping system and season on the growth and yield of maize, egzz.sz-melon and vegetable cowpea. The experiment was laid out in split-plot on randomized cropping seasons (early and late cropping seasons) as the main plot factor and cropping systems (sole maize+ vegetable cowpea egw.sz-melon) as sub-plot factor. The three crop components influenced growth and yield in the early and late cropping seasons. Egzz.sz-melon + maize kg/ha). Vegetable cowpea showed a significant difference for seed yield, and three intercrop produced more yield (672 kg/ha) compared to maize + vegetable cowpea and the least was on the plots ofsole vegetable cowpea. This advantage for vegetable cowpea, <?gz/.sz-melon and the three intcrciops icspectivclx ix components of maize gave LER of 1.01 and 1.14 and the highest yield advantage for the three component crops of 159% lor early season, while late season gave 175, 198 and 269/o yield was surprising because it was expected that competition in the systems during the late season (1718 kg/ha) compared to the early season planting, while low yield performed better during the late season compared to other systems with regards to yield (2004 three crops mixture would reduce cowpea yield. Sole maize produced more yield than other complete block design with six treatment combinations replicated three times. The treatments were was obtained in maize three intercrop (1483 kg/ha). Vegetable cowpea and egz/sz-melon.