RESEARCH ON PRODUCTIVITY AND YIELD QUALITY OF MAIZE AND COWPEA INTERCROPPING IN THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SYSTEM

The paper researches the productivity and yield quality of maize and cowpea intercropping in order to evaluate their adaptability to the natural conditions of South Romania and to organic cultivation. The experiment was carried out in the 2007-2009 period, in Moara Domneasca Experimental Field, on reddish preluvosoil, in randomized variants, in 4 replications. The seeds used for experiments were organic. Maize and cowpea were sown in alternating rows (1 row of maize, 1 row of cowpea), in 70 cm distance between maize rows and 35 cm distance between rows of cowpea and rows of maize, at a 5 cm depth. Maize crop had a density of 5 plants/m(2) and cowpea crop of 12 plants/m(2). There were determined the productivity compounds, land equivalent ratio and yields. The average grain yield for maize in monoculture was of 35.51 q/ha and in intercropping with cowpea of 33.56 q grains/ha. In monoculture, the average cowpea yield was of 18.38 q/ha and in intercropping with maize 8.03 q/ha, were harvested. In terms of chemical composition, maize intercropped with cowpea contains 9.35% proteins, 4.79% fats and 68.94% starch. Cowpea seeds had 24.69% protein, 0.87% fats and 40.15% starch.