Doubled-Up Legumes in Malawi:

An Innovation for Sustainable Rain-Fed Cereal Production in Developing

Countries

Sieglinde Snapp1, Regis Chikowo1,2, Wezi Mhango3, Vicki Morrone1, Mateete

Bekunda2, and Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon2

1Michigan State University, 2IITA, 3Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural

Resources

Tropentag 2014, Prague, Czech Republic - 17-19 September, 2014

Africa - 7 to 10 kg/Ha fertilizer

Two types of legumes

Annuals - for foodPerennials – agroforestry soil fertility & fuelwood

Bean, groundnut & soyabean Gliricidia & tephrosia trees

A third way: doubled up legumes

A third way: doubled up legumesPigeon pea(Cajanus cajan)

Soyabean

Elevation Zones &

Agricultural Development Divisions

KarongaADD

MzuzuADD

KasunguADD

Lilongwe ADD

MachingaADD

BlantyreADD

ShireValley

ADD

Mzuzu

Lilongwe

Blantyre

Zomba

Kasungu

Karonga

Mchinji

Chitipa

Salima

Lower Shire Valley:

< 200 m elevation

Lakeshore, Middle &

Upper Shire: 200 - 760 m

Highlands:

> 1300 m

Mid-elevation Upland

Plateau: 760 - 1300 m

T. Benson; 10/98

MALAWI

Nsanje

SalimaADD

Mzimba

Mangochi

Participatory research and education

IterativeCo-learning

Diagnosis & Systems Analysis Best bets

On-farm research

FarmerCapacity

Better bet options

Annual Food Legume

Groundnut

Pigeon pea

Year 1: Doubled Up Legumes

Year 2: Maize

LER = 1.35

Unf

ertil

ized

mai

zeFer

t NP

Fer

t NP+M

anur

eG

roun

dnut

DU

L-gr

ound

nut

Pig

eonp

ea

DU

L-pi

geon

pea

Ma

ize

or

leg

um

e g

rain

yie

lds (

Mg

/ha

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

YEAR 1: Sole or doubled-up legumes in maize based systems (4 sites, n=12)

LER = 1.35

Unf

ertil

ized

mai

zeFer

t NP

Fer

t NP+M

anur

eG

roun

dnut

DU

L-gr

ound

nut

Pig

eonp

ea

DU

L-pi

geon

pea

Ma

ize

or

leg

um

e g

rain

yie

lds (

Mg

/ha

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

YEAR 1: Sole or doubled-up legumes (DUL) with maize

LER = 1.35

Unf

ertil

ized

mai

zeFer

t NP

Fer

t NP+M

anur

eG

roun

dnut

DU

L-gr

ound

nut

Pig

eonp

ea

DU

L-pi

geon

pea

Ma

ize

or

leg

um

e g

rain

yie

lds (

Mg

/ha

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

Unf

ertil

ized

mai

zeFer

t NP

Fer

t NP+M

anur

e

50%

NP_g

roun

dnut

50%

NP_p

igeo

npea

50%

NP_D

UL

Maiz

e y

ield

s (

Mg/h

a)

0

1

2

3

4

5

DUL

Effect

Year 1

YEAR 2: Rotational effects of sole or doubled-up legumes sequenced

with maize

Mz+F

ert

Mz+Pp

ea

+Fert

Mz+Co

mp

Mz+Bea

ns

Mz+Gn

uts

PPea+B

eans

PPea+

Gnuts

PPea

+Soy

√ √ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √

√ √ √ √

√ √ √

Year 1: Pigeonpea + grain legume

Year 2: Regrowing pigeonpea + Fert. Maize

Year 3: Fertilized Maize

Year 2: Maize intercropped with ratooned

pigeon pea

COMBINE complementary life forms

Glover et al., 2012

Pulse plus!

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net

The presentation has a Creative Commons licence. You are free to re-use or distribute this work, provided credit is given to ILRI.

Thank You