Productivity and seed quality of corn and mungbean in relation to pest management, fertilizer sources and cropping patterns

The fertilizers used were poultry manure (78.8-49.1-52.1 and 25.0-15.6-16.5 kg N-P-K/ha for corn and mungbean, respectively) and inorganic fertilizer (78.8-62.5-5.0 kg N-P-K/ha for corn and 25.0-31.3-0 kg N-P-K/ha for mungbean). The botanicals treatment was comprised of neem powder (50 kg/ha), garlic solution (9.0 g garlic/l, applied at 250 l/ha), and lemon grass and marigold grown around the experimental plots. The chemical pesticides used were alachlor herbicide, carbofuran and monocrotophos insecticides and quintozene fungicide. All the chemical pesticides used were based on Thailand's official recommendation for corn and mungbean production (DAE, 1993. a, b). All mungbean plots were inoculated with Rhizobium. Tillage was done during the first cropping (wet season) only. The treatments were combined in a 3 x 3 x 2 factorial, arranged in a split-split-plot in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The pest management, fertilizer source and cropping patterns served as mainplot, subplot and sub-subplot, respectively. Parameters measured at different stages of growth were plant height (cm), leaf area index (LAI), total dry matter yield (g/sq m and g/plant, crop growth rate (CGR, g/sq m /d and g/d/plant), incidence of pest and plant disease and nodule dry weight (g/sq m for mungbean), weed dry weight (g/sq m for corn only), seed yield (t/ha and g/plant) and yield components, harvest index (HI), land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER), seed quality (laboratory germination (percent), field emergence (percent), germination accelerated aging (percent), seedling length (cm) and seedling dry weight (g)), nutrient (NPK) concentration (percent) and content (g/sq m) in various plant parts, soil parameters such as soil pH, extractable cations (ppm), organic matter (percent), soil nutrient concentration (N (percent), P (ppm), K (ppm), Ca (ppm), Mg (ppm) and Na (ppm)) and earthworm dry weight (g/sq m). The economics of crops and seed production of the different treatments was also assessed. Results indicated that nonchemical pesticide management, fertilization using poultry manure, and intercropping system can be as viable as the conventional system of corn and mungbean crop and seed production