Intercropping Industrial Hemp and Cowpea Enhances the Yield of Squash—A Pollinator-Dependent Crop

Beatrice N. Dingha (), Gilbert N. Mukoko, Ikponmwosa N. Egbon and Louis E. Jackai
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Beatrice N. Dingha: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Gilbert N. Mukoko: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Ikponmwosa N. Egbon: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Louis E. Jackai: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Cultural crop-production practices are not only engineered to minimize pest incidence but also improve resource use efficiency and increase the diversity of habitat for beneficial insects that provide pollination services. With the increasing cultivation of industrial hemp and the benefits associated with the cultivation of multiple crops, its integration into a polyculture cropping system remains to be evaluated. We intercropped two pollinator-attractive crops, hemp and cowpea, with squash, a pollinator-dependent crop, to evaluate the impact of pollinator abundance and diversity on crop yield. Intercropping significantly increased the overall abundance of pollinators with 79.1% recorded from the intercropping systems compared to 21.9% in the monocropping systems. Sweat bees and bumble bees were the most abundant bees, and Squash+Cowpea was the most diverse cropping system. Intercropping significantly increased the yield of squash with higher squash yield (155%) in Hemp+Squash and (161%) in Squash+Cowpea than in squash monocrop. Also, intercropping resulted in higher hemp yield (64%) in Hemp+Cowpea and (165%) in Hemp+Squash compared to hemp monocrop. This study demonstrated that agricultural systems such as intercropping that are designed to attract pollinators are much more productive by not only improving crop yield but also growers’ returns on investments.

Keywords: intercropping; polyculture; industrial hemp; Cannabis sativa; pollinator-dependent crop; cowpea; pollinators (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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