ANNUAL COTTON COWPEA INTERCROPPING .1. EF FECT OF ROW ARRANGEMENT

A field experiment was carried out in Sousa, PB, Brazil (6-degrees-45' 33''S and 18-degrees-13-56''W) with an ''AW'' climate according to Kop pen, to investigate the effect of row arrangement in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.r. latifolium Hutch.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Wal p. subsp. unguiculata) intercropping. All row arrangement in intercrop ping showed yield advantages in relation to pure stands of individual crops. Double Tows (2:2) were the only row arrangements which satisfie d the condition of 75% of the sole cowpea (the most valuable crop) wit h the highest total LER value (1:30). The alternate rows (1:1) and 2 r ows of cotton/l row of cowpea (2:1) satisfied the minimum condition of 50% of the sole cowpea with LER values of 1.17 and 1.25 respectively. Three rows of cotton/l row of cowpea did not satisfy the minimum cowp ea yield requirement but obtained a considerably high LER value of 1.2 5. None of the treatments affected consistently the plant growth and f iber quality of cotton.