Hetero-Culture Method on the Control of Stink Bugs on the Yield of Soybean: A Factorial Split Plot Analysis

Abstract

The study was prompted by the need to boost the production of food crops in order to meet the increasing demand and generate higher economic returns to Soybean. Hence, the principle of Split-plot experiment was employed to study the most effective cultivation method that can be adopted to reduce the infection of stink bugs on soybean pods to the minimum, assess the reaction of stink bugs to hetero-cultures of Soybean, assess the effect of Stink bug on Soybean when intercropped with chickpeas, cowpea, lentils, and guinea corn separately and also, to assess the effect of Stink bugs on Soybean when intra-rowed with chickpeas and cowpea. Four types of intercropping; cowpea intercropped with Chickpeas, soybean intercropped with cowpea, soybean intercropped with lentils, soybean intercropped with guinea corn. Five methods intra-row mixing one row of Soybean to one of the others, three rows of soybean to one of the others, five rows of soybean to one of the others, seven rows of Soybean to one of the others. Intra-row mixing of Soybean and others were used for the experiment. After, the data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using a statistical package called SAS. The results obtained for higher yield which comes as a result of reducing the rate of infection of the bug on the Soybean pod and economic considerations of Soybean intercropped with Guinea corn will be preferred for higher yield which comes as a result of reducing the rate of infection of the bug on the Soybean pod and economic considerations of three rows of Soybean to one of the others will be preferred.