EFFECT OF OKRA PLANTING DENSITY AND SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT IN INTERCROP WITH MAIZE ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF THE COMPONENT SPECIES

The effects of three okra planting densities (28 000; 56 000 and 111 0 00 plants ha(-1)) intercropped within or between maize rows were inves tigated in two field trials during the 1990 and 1991 wet seasons at Ns ukka. The plant height and the leaf area index (LAI) increased as the planting density increased in sole or intercropped okra while the numb er of branches per plant decreased with increasing okra planting densi ty. The height of maize plants also increased as okra planting density increased but the LAI decreased. Intercropping reduced the yield and yield components (number and weight of pods per plant) of okra and mai ze (number of cobs, cob length and 100-grain weight). Increasing okra planting density reduced the sole and the intercropped okra and also t he maize intercrop yield by reducing the number of pods and grains as well as the pod and grain size, respectively. Assessment of the produc tivity of the mixtures showed that the highest yield advantage (35%) o f growing okra and maize together was obtained at 28 000 okra plants h a(-1) while the highest monetary return was realized at the highest ok ra planting density of 111 000 plants ha(-1) intercropped between maiz e rows. The patterns of row arrangement did not have effect on the gro wth, yield and yield components of the mixtures.