Effect of Bambara nut and cowpea intercropped with maize at different times on nutritive quality of maize for ruminant feeding

Effects of Bambara nut and cowpea planted with maize at different times on nutritive quality of maize forage were investigated. The study was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design and the treatments were combination of crop types (Bambara nut-maize (MB) and Cowpea-maize (MC) and planting times of legumes (2 wks before planting maize, 2WBPM and 2 wks after planting maize, 2WAPM), and sole maize (as control). An experimental field measuring 19 m � 11 m was divided into 3 replicates; each replicate was sub-divided into 5 plots of dimension 3 m2 each, with 1 m and 2 m inter-plots and inter-blocks spacing respectively. Maize forage samples were harvested on each plot at 10 wks after planting, oven-dried, milled and analyzed to evaluate the chemical composition, mineral composition, in vitro gas production and post-incubation characteristics. Results revealed significant differences (P