The performance of individual component crops was assessed in relation to
whole treatment planting density. Values for banana represent the mean over the
experimental period, i.e. up to 28 MAP (Fig. 2), whilst values for rubber are those
obtained at final harvest at 28 MAP because unlike banana, rubber growth increased
steadily with time and reached a maximum at 28 MAP (Fig. 3). Except in the low
density BR intercrop, treatments had a little effect on biomass productivity and leaf
area per plant of banana in high density systems and therefore, CPRs of BBR and
BBBR were similar and greater than that of BR (Fig. 2c). In the case of rubber,
biomass productivity and leaf area per plant were greater in the intercrops than the
sole crop, particularly under the high density system (Fig. 3). In general, the greater
the planting density, the greater the TDM and CPR of intercropped rubber.