ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Agron.
Sec. Agroecological Cropping Systems
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1679366
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Ecosystem Services through Conservation Agriculture, Agroforestry, and Traditional Farming SystemsView all 8 articles
The effects of variety selection on the yield and productivity of sweetpotato-legume intercropping options in Malawi
Provisionally accepted
- 1International Potato Center, Lilongwe, Malawi
- 2International Potato Center Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
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Crop diversification through integration of sweetpotato with legumes such as soybean presents a viable option for achieving food and nutrition security, income generation, soil fertility improvement, and adaptation to climate change in Malawi. However, knowledge regarding the choice of sweetpotato variety specifically adapted to intercropping systems remains a major obstacle to its optimization. The objective of the study was to evaluate three sweetpotato varieties under different intercropping systems. A field experiment was conducted using three Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato varieties (OFSP) with different vine length and growth habits (Kadyaubwerere -long vines, Royal choice-short vines, and Chipika - compact vines) under five spatial arrangements across three different agroecelogical zones during 2023-2024 cropping season. Five spatial arrangements including i) sole sweetpotato (Sole SP); ii) sole soybean (sole SB); iii) sweetpotato - soybean (1:1); iv) sweetpotato – soybean (2:1); and v) sweetpotato – soybean (2:2) were evaluated using a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with three replications. Agronomic data were subjected to analysis of variance using R programing. Land equivalent ratios (LERs) and absolute merit effect (AME) were also used to determine the productivity of the intercropping system. Variety architecture, locations, and intercropping systems significantly (P< 0.001) influenced the yields, and other traits of sweetpotato and soybean. Sweetpotato varieties responded differently under diverse spatial arrangements, indicating varietal effects on crop performance. LERs indicate significantly higher yield advantage in intercropping compared to sole cropping. LERs were greater than one (LER>1) in many of the intercrops, indicating higher productivity of intercropping over sole cropping. Across locations, Chipika and Royal choice sweetpotato varieties intercropped in ratios 1:1 and 2:1 gave the highest LERs as compared to Kadyaubwelere. The results suggest the profitable combinations of Chipika-soybean in ratios 2:1 and 2:2 and Royal choice -with soybean in ratios 1:1 and 2:2 for sweetpotato-intensification in Malawi s due to the less competitiveness of the two varieties under the different intercropping arrangements.
Keywords: intercropping, legumes, productivity, yield, Sweetpotato variety
Received: 04 Aug 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 AKINWALE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gbenga Moses AKINWALE, International Potato Center, Lilongwe, Malawi
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