The impact of leguminous culture system and sowing dates on the cereal yield in mountainous South-Kivu: Case of Burhale

Despite their potential yield, the adoption of climbing beans in mountainous South Kivu is limited by the lack of technologies. Thus, appropriate technologies corresponding to poor farmer incomes should be adapted in terms of labour, soil and investment in capital so that intercropping would replace stakes and allow a better soil cover. This study was carried out at Burhale during two cultural seasons A2011 and A2012 in four sites comprising 9 trials each. The varieties used were: maize, soya-bean and beans. NPK and manure were also used. The MOJA was applied in 1st and 3rd trials and the MBILI in 2nd and 4th ones. Monoculture was practiced in 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th trials. Beans were sown 10 to 15 days after maize in 1st and 3rd trials. In 2nd, 4th and 7th trials this happened 20 to 30 days after maize. Soya-beans were sown simultaneously with maize in the 5th MBILI trial and in the 8th monoculture trial. Maize was sown on the experiment launching day. Leguminous plant yield was inferior (259.26; 271.88; 0 and 0 kg.ha-1 respectively for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th trials) to that of monoculture (2711.11 and 1100.18kg.ha-1 respectively for 6th and 7th trials). Maize yield was inferior (7564.4; 5397; 10279.61 and 842.91kg.ha-1 respectively for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th trials) to that of the 9th monoculture trial (7957.4kg.ha-1). Good LERs of 1.01 and 1.25 were found for 1st and 3rd; they were bad (0.76; 0.92 and 0.69) for 2nd, 4th and 5th trials.