Intercropping Cassava and Legumes for Local Food Security in Florida and Puerto Rico

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: peanuts, soybeans, legumes
• Vegetables: cassava

Practices

• Crop Production: crop improvement and selection, intercropping, nutrient cycling
• Pest Management: weed management

Cassava is a root crop grown throughout the tropics, often in intercropping systems with legumes. Many Americans in the Southern Region consume cassava regularly, especially those of Caribbean, Latin American, and African descent. However, while subtropical regions such as Florida and Puerto Rico have a suitable climate and environment for cassava production, most cassava eaten in the US is imported. To improve local food security and access to culturally valuable foods, this project aims to investigate the potential of intercropping cassava with legumes to form a resilient cropping system for local farmers with potential benefit in larger-scale systems. Four grain legumes (peanut, soybean, cowpea, and Bambara groundnut) were tested for compatibility with cassava in North-Central Florida. Factors included effects of intercropped legumes on weed pressure and nutrient cycling in cassava-legume systems.

Objectives of the research were as follows –

• Assess the capacity of four grain legumes (cowpea, peanut, soybean, and Bambara groundnut) to suppress weeds in the presence and absence of manual weeding for a cassava intercrop.
• Investigate the mechanisms of competition between cassava and legumes using a container experiment with artificial barriers to separate above and below ground competitive effects.
• Assess cassava productivity of four cassava-legume intercropping systems as a function of legume residues as green manure after legume harvest.