Residual Effect of Intercropping on the Yield and Productivity of Oil Palm

The oil palm industry in Ghana is dominated by small scale farmers who normally intercrop oil palm with food crops (maize, cassava and plantain). A trial was conducted on a four year old oil palm field which had been intercropped with food crops for three years (1994-1997). Observations were carried out on the field from 1997-2007to find out the residual effect of the intercrop on the yield of oil palm. The field was compared with the standard system of cover cropping oil palm with Pueraria sp. The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design with 4 treatments and four replications. Each plot measured 35.2 x 22.7 m and had 12 palms. Vegetative and yield data were collected on the palms. There were no significant differences between the vegetative and yield data of the fields that were intercropped and sole cropped. Intercropping oil palm with maize, plantain and or cassava had no adverse effect on the growth, development and yield of the oil palm.