抄録
Kersting's groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum Harms) is an indigenous subterranean legume crop grown by small-scale farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana. This legume has a high protein content and is also of socio-cultural importance. It has been neglected by researchers despite the important role it plays, such as traditional funeral rituals for orphans of the deceased, in the rural farming communities where it is grown. A survey conducted on the status of indigenous crops in the Upper West Region resulted in the collection of 138 crop samples and revealed that only a few, older, small-scale farmers still cultivate Kersting's groundnut. To examine the reasons why this legume gives lower yield when cultivated by small-scale farmers in the rural communities three Kersting's groundnut farmers, from the Boli community in the Wa district and Lilixsie and Nimoro communities in the Sissala district, were selected and financially supported by the Northern Savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project to promote, reproduce, and conserve the seed of the Kersting's groundnut through the establishment of in situ conservation fields under natural rainfall conditions. Traditional farming practices used by the selected farmers were found to have an influence on the low yields that were obtained. Traditional random planting (not planted in rows) and the practice of weeding only once may have greatly contributed to the lower mean yields of 178kg/ha, 250kg/ha, and 124kg/ha for the white, black, and mottled cultivars, respectively. In order to improve yields, it was recommend by Buah et al. (2007) that Kersting's groundnut fields that are sown in June be weeded a minimum of two times (third week after planting and sixth week after planting) and have an inter-row spacing of 0.30m and intra-row spacing of 0.20m. Applying these recommendations to fields planted on tropical Savanna soil and using natural rainfall as the water source will help to ensure that small-scale farmers in the Upper West Region maintain adequate control of weeds for maximum yields.
