Maize relay intercropping with fodder crops for small-scale farmers in central Brazil

Relay intercropping of maize with fodder crops is a promising option for sustainable intensification
of dairy small-scale farms in the Cerrado of Brazil. Twenty-six intercropping trials were conducted
on farmers’ fields with the following experimental treatments: sole maize crop cropping (MS), maize-
Brachiaria intercropping (MB) and maize-pigeon pea intercropping (MP). The trials were managed by
the farmers, i.e. choice of conventional tillage (CT) versus no-tillage (NT), sowing dates, fertilization
and weed control. Maize grain yield varied strongly across the farmer fields, from 100 to 5900 kg ha−1
in the MS treatment, 500 to 6900 kg ha−1 in MP and 300 to 5500 kg ha−1 in MB. Intercropping did
not significantly affect maize grain yields under NT, but yields were reduced under CT in one out of
two seasons. Maize yields in the intercropped systems were also higher under NT than CT. Total biomass
productivity was significantly higher in the maize-fodder than in the sole maize system. An increased
interval between sowing of maize and fodder crop significantly reduced the fodder crop biomass. Relay
intercropping, especially in combination with NT, is a promising option if crop calendars and fertilization
are properly managed by farmers to reduce interspecific competition between the maize and fodder crop