Sustainable Maize Production in Dactyledania barteri AND Alchornea cordifolia Alley Systems

A field study was carried out in Onne (located between longitudes 40 and 50 N, and latitudes 70 and 80 E) in Southeastern Nigeria on a degraded ultisol which was planted with Dactyledania barteri and Alchornea cordifolia for twenty years and under natural re-growth. After the period (that is, 20 years), the trees were pruned and soil physicochemical properties were evaluated at depth of 0 – 15 cm. In a split-split experiment fitted into a completely randomized design (CRD), sustainable maize yield was obtained with Dactyledania barteri fallow recording 17.8 and 27.8 % higher grain yield than Alchornea cordifolia fallow and natural re-growth respectively. The systems were found to be sustainable as soil quality did not deteriorate at the end of the experiment.