Maize intercroped with water melon in Gulu, Uganda (Otto Richard Kawawa)
Traditionally, maize has been inter-cropped with other legumes such as common beans or soy bean. Intercropping of maize with water melon is used where the availability of land is limited in order to utilize optimally the available land. Watermelon has emerged as a high-value crop that can replace traditional companion crops in maize cultivations.
The technology is applied by planting maize of 0.25 meters within the rows and 1.0 meters between rows. Watermelon is planted at 1.0 meters meter between individual watermeleon plants. Sugar Baby, the watermelon variety grown in the areas, takes 120 days to mature. It produces melons with bright red flesh. This means that both maize and the water melon are harvested around the same time.
Watermelons like loamy, fertile, well-drained soil. Using a hoe, form mounds of earth (hills) to plant seeds in. Place 3 or 4 holes into the soil with a tool or your finger, about 2.5 cm deep. Place 1 to 4 seeds in each hole, then rake the soil flat over the top of the seeds, and lightly press the soil to pack it sufficiently to keep the moisture from quickly evaporating around the seed. Plant the seed directly into the ground. Keep the soil moist (50-60% moisture content) around the seeds during the germination period, water close enough so that the water reaches the small roots which are in the process of forming. When the seedlings grow, thin them down to the two strongest, to give the strong one room to grow. You should water at least once daily. Mulching soil under the vines helps suppress weeds and slows moisture evaporation.
The major limitation for which farmers detest this technology is that both maize and water melon take a lot of nutrients from the soil that need to be replaced periodically. Since water melon, unlike beans and soy bean, requires spraying, the profitability of this technology may be reduced by these input costs. Furthermore, there are several varieties of water melon that may perform differently in different soils and also have different preferences by consumers. So, there is need to evaluate the market potential of this technology.
Major benefits are increased income, employment, an additional food source, the minimisation of production risks and reduction of production costs by having many fields. The technology increases resilience and income security. Watermelons provide soil cover while maize provides shade to the melons.
ទីតាំង: Northern, អ៊ូហ្គង់ដា
ចំនួនទីកន្លែងបច្ចេកទេស ដែលវិភាគ: មួយកន្លែង
ការសាយភាយនៃបច្ចេកទេស: ត្រូវបានផ្សព្វផ្សាយត្រឹមតំបន់មួយ (approx. < 0.1 គម2 (10 ហិកតា))
កាលបរិច្ឆេទនៃការអនុវត្ត: 2015
ប្រភេទនៃការណែនាំឱ្យអនុវត្តន៍៖
| បញ្ជាក់ពីធាតុចូល | ឯកតា | បរិមាណ | ថ្លៃដើមក្នុងមួយឯកតា (Uganda Shillings) | ថ្លៃធាតុចូលសរុប (Uganda Shillings) | % នៃថ្លៃដើមដែលចំណាយដោយអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ដី |
| កម្លាំងពលកម្ម | |||||
| Land preparation | Acre | 1,0 | 150000,0 | 150000,0 | 100,0 |
| Pitting and sawing | Acre | 1,0 | 100000,0 | 100000,0 | 100,0 |
| Mulching | Acre | 1,0 | 200000,0 | 200000,0 | 100,0 |
| Spraying | Acre | 1,0 | 100000,0 | 100000,0 | 100,0 |
| សម្ភារៈ | |||||
| HandHoe for digging | 1 | 4,0 | 5000,0 | 20000,0 | 100,0 |
| សម្ភារៈដាំដុះ | |||||
| Seeds - watermelon | kg | 2,0 | 100000,0 | 200000,0 | 50,0 |
| Seeds - maize | kg | 10,0 | 5000,0 | 50000,0 | 50,0 |
| ជី និងសារធាតុពុល | |||||
| NPK | kg | 100,0 | 2000,0 | 200000,0 | 20,0 |
| Urea | kg | 100,0 | 2000,0 | 200000,0 | 20,0 |
| Fungicides | Liters | 15,0 | 20000,0 | 300000,0 | 20,0 |
| Knapsack sprayer | Piece | 1,0 | 200000,0 | 200000,0 | 50,0 |
| សម្ភារៈសាងសង់ | |||||
| Mulching material | Bundles | 50,0 | 5000,0 | 250000,0 | 100,0 |
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបក្នុងការបង្កើតបច្ចេកទេស | 1'970'000.0 | ||||
| បញ្ជាក់ពីធាតុចូល | ឯកតា | បរិមាណ | ថ្លៃដើមក្នុងមួយឯកតា (Uganda Shillings) | ថ្លៃធាតុចូលសរុប (Uganda Shillings) | % នៃថ្លៃដើមដែលចំណាយដោយអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ដី |
| កម្លាំងពលកម្ម | |||||
| Planting | Acre | 1,0 | 150000,0 | 150000,0 | 100,0 |
| Mulching | Acre | 1,0 | 200000,0 | 200000,0 | 100,0 |
| Spraying | Acre | 1,0 | 100000,0 | 100000,0 | 100,0 |
| សម្ភារៈដាំដុះ | |||||
| Seeds - Water melon | kg | 2,0 | 100000,0 | 200000,0 | 50,0 |
| Seeds - Maize | kg | 10,0 | 5000,0 | 50000,0 | 50,0 |
| ជី និងសារធាតុពុល | |||||
| NPK | kg | 100,0 | 2000,0 | 200000,0 | 20,0 |
| Urea | kg | 100,0 | 2000,0 | 200000,0 | 20,0 |
| Fungicides | Liters | 10,0 | 20000,0 | 200000,0 | 20,0 |
| ថ្លៃដើមសរុបសម្រាប់ការថែទាំដំណាំតាមបច្ចេកទេស | 1'300'000.0 | ||||
