In ternationa l Scholars Journa ls African Journal of Environmental Economics and Management ISSN 2375-0707 Vol. 3 (2), pp. 218-220, February, 2015. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. Short Communication An investigation on the income accruing to sorghum- rice enterprise in response to the most profitable mixture combination for adoption by farmers *Bayo Paul1, Bolanle Akiolu2 and Yemi Philips2 1 Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Accepted 22 January 2015 Multiple cropping offers farmers the opportunity to engage nature’s principles of diversity on farms. A field trial that was conducted in Nigeria, investigated the yield and economic returns that accrued to sorghum and rice; in sorghum – rice intercrop as affected by rice inclusion in the proportions: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4, respectively for sorghum and rice. Analysis of yield data for both cropping seasons revealed significant influence of sorghum – rice intercrop on grain yields of sorghum and rice in mixtures. Observed average sorghum yield in sole plot was 1712.39 kg ha -1 , which was progressively significantly decreased with progressive inclusion of rice rows from 1050.58 kg ha -1 (38.65 % yield reduction) in 1:1 sorghum – rice mixture to 300.35 kg ha -1 (82.46% yield reduction) in 1:4 sorghum – rice mixture; while grain yields of sorghum decreased with progressive rice inclusion, grain yields of rice increased per hectare with progressive increase in rice rows from 1:1 to 1:4. Considering the economic implication of intercropping sorghum with rice, income that accrued to sole crops was significantly reduced with intercropping. While all the crop combinations investigated performed better than sole cropped sorghum (in terms of revenue generation), sole rice performed better than all the intercrops. The implication of this observation is that while sorghum is better intercropped with rice to improve revenue generation, rice is best as sole crop. In conclusion, in sorghum – rice intercrop, intercropping at 1:4 is recommended as this mixture gave best intercrop result in respect to monetary return relative to other mixtures. Key words: Intercropping, monetary returns, multiple cropping. rice, sorghum, yield. Introduction The deepening need for increasing productivity on farmers’ plots in the African continent will be met through better understanding of crop environment, particularly as it regards to multiple cropping systems, which offer farmers the opportunity to engage nature’s principles of diversity on farms. By combining crops of different growing periods, varying heights and varying uses, African farmers have evolved highly diversified cropping systems (Okigbo and Greenland, 1976; Steiner, 1982). *Corresponding Author E-mail: bayopaul@yahoo.com However, spatial arrangements of crops, sowing rates and crop maturity date are important considerations when planning these multiple cropping systems (Sulivan, 2010). Generally, the rationale of intercropping lies in its beneficial effects. Besides allowing the farmer to grow various crops on a piece of land without necessarily preparing another land, an insurance against total crop failure, helping in the control of erosion, pests and diseases, it provides the farmer a variety of crops, thus improving his dietary intake (Kassam, 1972; Steiner, 1982; Langdale et al., 1992) and securing farmers income. Besides combined yield advantage that may come with multiple cropping, farmers should also be interested in the economic implication of the system they Bayo et al. 218 Table 1. Average yield implication of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and rice (Oryza sativa L) intercrop as influenced by varying mixture proportion. Treatment Intercrop Effect on Crop Yield Sorghum Rice Sorghum: Average Intercrop implication Percentage yield Average Intercrop implication Percentage yield Rice grain yield relative to sole crop reduction relative to grain yield relative to sole crop reduction relative to (kg ha -1 ) (kg ha -1 ) sole crop (kg ha -1 ) (kg ha -1 ) sole crop Sole 1712.39a - - 1405.39a - - 1:1 1050.58b - 661.81 38.65% 760.67e - 644.72 45.87 1:2 571.83c - 1140.56 66.61% 933.82d - 471.57 33.55 1:3 446.15d - 1266.24 73.95% 994.67c - 410.72 29.22 1:4 300.35e - 1412.04 82.46% 1113.05b - 292.34 20.80 Se± 28.623 22.050 are engaged in - what is the cost implication of such a system and the likely economic returns to the system. The food sub-sector of Nigeria’s semi-arid agriculture parades a large array of cereal crops, made possible by the diversity of agro-ecological production systems (Rowland, 1993). Presently, rice is a common dietary staple in Nigeria and individuals now consume 21 kg of rice annually, representing 9% of total caloric intake and 23% of the total cereal consumption, with an estimated 2.1 million tonnes of rice consumed annually by the populace (Ukwungwu et al., 2004). An estimated 0.4 million tonnes of rice enters the country annually (Ukwungwu et al., 2004). Sorghum is no less important, a common staple among the poor (noting that more than 70 per cent of the populace fall below the poverty line of one dollar a day) and the drier part of the country. The importance of sorghum and rice in the diet of most Nigerians justify a study on these crops. Especially, considering that rice have risen to a position of pre- eminence. The fact that over 75 per cent of cultivated land in Nigeria is, sown to more than one crop type, justifies a study on multiple cropping system. This research thus investigated the income that accrued to sorghum-rice enterprise in response to varying mixture combinations with the aim of finding the most profitable mixture combination for adoption by farmers. MATERIALS AND METHODS On farm trials conducted in 2006 and 2007 wet seasons in Loko, Tudu Uku Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, Nigeria; Southern guinea savanna agro-ecological Zone (Latitude 8 0 00 1 19 0 N; Longitude 7 0 50 1 39 0 E) investigated the response of sorghum and rice to varying levels of intercropping. The field was ploughed and harrowed without ridging. Sorghum: SAMSORG 14 (KSV8), sourced from the Institute for Agricultural research (IAR), Zaria was sown 25 by 90 cm intra and inter row for sole crop plots. For intercropped plots, rice variety: ITA 257 was dibbled between sorghum rows at 30 by 30 cm inter and intra row spacing at 1:1; 1:2; 1:3 and 1:4 rows, respectively for sorghum and rice, using row substitution method as reported by Yahaya et al. (2005). One, two, three and four rows of sorghum stands were replaced with rice in the proportions of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4, respectively in line with Yahaya et al. (2005). Three and six seeds of sorghum and rice respectively, were sown and thinned to one plant/stand of sorghum and four plant/stand of rice two weeks after sowing. Sorghum crop received fertilizer application: 64 kg N, 13.2 kg P and 26.4 kg K in two split doses at planting and 6 WAS to sorghum, while rice received 80 kg N as against the fertilizer rate given to sorghum with other nutrients maintained as in sorghum crop. Data was collected on crop yield, yield implication of intercropping relative to sole cropping (kg ha -1 ), percentage, yield implication of intercropping relative to sole cropping, monetary implication of the cropping systems and monetary implication of intercropping relative to sole cropping. Returns on sorghum enterprise was calculated based on an average of N50 kg -1 of grain sorghum as at October 2010 while rice enterprise was based on an average of N140 kg -1 of rice grains kg -1 within the same period. Thus, economic returns to the enterprise were, derived as in the formulae: Rs = Ys x Cs Rr = Yr x Cr Where Rs = Revenue that accrued to sorghum (N) Ys = Yield of sorghum per ha (Kg) Cs of sorghum per kg Rr = Revenue that accrued to rice (N) Yr = Yield of rice per ha (Kg) Cr = Cost of rice per kg (N) RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Analysis of yield data for both cropping seasons revealed significant influence of sorghum – rice intercrop on grain yields of sorghum and rice in various mixtures. Observed average sorghum yield in sole plot was 1712.39 kg ha -1 , which was progressively significantly decreased with progressive inclusion of rice rows from 1050.58 kg ha -1 (38.65% yield reduction) in 1:1 sorghum – rice mixture to 300.35 kg ha -1 (82.46% yield reduction) in 1:4 sorghum – rice mixture (Table 1). While grain yields of sorghum decreased with progressive rice inclusion, grain yields of 219 Afr. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. Table 2. Monetary returns on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) - rice (Oryza sativa L) enterprise ($ ha -1 ) as influenced by varying mixture proportion Treatment Intercrop Effect Sorghum Rice Sorghum: Average grain Monetary Intercrop implication Average grain Monetary Intercrop implication Rice yield (kg ha -1 ) implication ( N ) relative to sole crop ( N ) yield (kg ha -1 ) implication ( N ) relative to sole crop ( N ) Sole 1712.39a 85,619.50 - 1405.39a 196,754.60 - 1:1 1050.58b 52,529.00 - 33,090.50 760.67e 106,493.80 -90,260.80 1:2 571.83c 28,591.50 -57,028.00 933.82d 130,734.80 -66,019.80 1:3 446.15d 22,307.50 -63,312.00 994.67c 139,253.80 -57,500.80 1:4 300.35e 15,017.50 70,602.00 1113.05b 155,827.00 -40,927.60 Se± 28.623 22.050 *Exchange rate: N150.6024 to $1 rice increased per hectare with progressive increase in rice rows from 1:1 through to 1:4. However, the highest grain yields for both sorghum and rice were, observed in sole plots, which significantly decreased with intercropping. The observed yield reduction in the intercrops were not necessarily the result of reduction in yield capacity of individual stands, but rather the effect of reduced individual component crop population with intercropping (Oyewole, 2004). It should be noted that in crops that tiller, such as sorghum and rice, reduction in plant population, which accompanies intercropping, may actually boost yields of individual crop stands as a result, of profuse tiller formation with lowered population (Oyewole et al., 2010). This fact is glaring when one observes the percentage yield reduction that accompanied progressive rice inclusion in the intercrop shown on Table 1. With 1:1 row mixture, grain yield reduction was 38.65%, which almost doubled with 1:2 row mixtures (66.61% yield reduction). However, the differences in grain yields between 1:2 and 1:3 and between 1:3 and 1:4 row mixtures were less than 10%. An indication that reduction in sorghum population must have prompted a boost in stand yields in the intercrops, either as a result of profuse tiller formation or heavier seed weight. Usually, the profitability of multiple cropping rests on the ability of the component crops to compensate for yield reduction through attainment of better combine yield. Where this occurs, observed reduction in individual crop is often over-matched, by the combined yields of component crops in the mixture. The combined effect of individual crop yield is difficult to quantify except where expressed in monetary terms. Thus, Table 2 attempts an interpretation of what is contained on Table 1 in monetary terms. This is to give a common scale of measurement to this different enterprise upon which to assess enterprise profitability. Considering the economic implication of intercropping sorghum with rice, income that accrued to sole crops was N85, 619.50 and N196, 754.60, respectively for sorghum and rice, which were significantly reduced with intercropping (Table 2). The least monetary return on sorghum enterprise was in 1:4 cropping ratios (N15, 017.50), N70, 602.00 less the return in sole plots, while the least monetary return on rice enterprise was in 1:1 crop combination (N106, 493.80), N 90,260.80 less the return on sole cropped rice. Combined monetary return on sole crops was N282,374.10 which decreased by N123,351.30 in 1:1 cropping ratios, by 123,047.80 in 1:2 cropping ratios, by N120,812.80 in 1:3 crop combination while 1:4 cropping ratios recorded N111,529.60 reduction in income in comparison with sole crops (Table 3). Thus 1:1 cropping ratios recorded the highest revenue reduction in comparison with sole crops, while the least revenue reduction was in 1:4 crop combination. While all the crop combinations investigated performed better than sole cropped sorghum (in terms of revenue generation), sole rice performed better than all the intercrops (Table 3). The implication of this observation is that while sorghum is better intercropped with rice to improve revenue generation, rice is best as sole crop. Conclusion Trial conducted in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, investigated yield and economic returns that accrued to sorghum and rice in sorghum – rice intercrop as affected by rice inclusion in the proportions of: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4, respectively for sorghum and rice. Analysis of yield data for both cropping seasons revealed significant influence of sorghum – rice intercrop on grain yields of sorghum and rice. Grain yield of sorghum decreased with progressive rice row inclusion, while grain yield of rice increased per hectare with progressive increase in rice rows. Considering the economic implication of intercropping sorghum with rice, income that accrued to sole crops was Bayo et al. 220 Table 3. Monetary returns on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) - rice (Oryza sativa L) enterprise (N ha -1 ) as influenced by varying mixture proportion. Treatment Monetary Implication of the Intercrop ( N ) Sorghum Rice Total Intercrop implication relative to sole crop Sorghum: Rice Sole 85,619.50 196,754.60 282,374.10 - 1:1 52,529.00 106,493.8 159,022.80 -123,351.30 1:2 28,591.50 130,734.80 159326.30 -123,047.80 1:3 22,307.50 139,253.80 161,561.30 -120,812.80 1:4 15,017.50 155,827.00 170,844.50 -111,529.60 * Exchange rate: N150.6024 to $1 significantly reduced with intercropping. While all the crop combinations investigated performed better than sole cropped sorghum (in terms of revenue generation), sole rice performed better than all the intercrops. 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