A field experiment was conducted for two years (2012 and 2013) at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. The experiment was undertaken to determine the growth and yieldof some pigeonpea varieties when intercropped with cocoyam.The treatments consisted of two cropping systems (sole cropping and row intercropping)as the main plot,combined with 3 pigeonpea varieties (ICPL 87119, ICPL 187-1 and one traditional cultivar ‘Igbongbo’)as the sub-plot, laid out as a split-plot in randomized complete block design with three replications. The result obtained from the experiment showed that row intercropping increasedthe plant height at harvest, number of leaves and primary branches at harvest, pod bearing length, leaf litter, number of seeds per pod and grain yield of pigeonpea. Irrespective of the cropping system, ICPL 87119 produced the highest number of primary branches and pod bearing length. ‘Igbongbo’ produced the highest plant height at harvest, leaf litter, pod length and number of seeds per pod in both cropping systems. ICPL 187-1was found to give the highest number of leaves at harvest, number of pods per plant, grain yield and 100-seed weight under row intercropping as well as sole cropping. Intercropping depressed plant height at harvest, number of cormels and corms per plant, cormel and corm length and cormel and corm weight of cocoyam. Yield advantages measured by land equivalent ratio and land equivalent coefficient indicated benefits of intercropping the tested pigeonpeavarieties with the cocoyam cultivar in Makurdi environment. Pigeonpea proved the more dominant component of the pigeonpea + cocoyam intercropping system. These results suggested that intercropping these pigeonpeavarieties with the tested cocoyam cultivar was more productive than the sole crop of either of the intercropped components and may therefore serve as an alternative production system to both pigeonpea and cocoyam growers in the area.

Key words: Pigeonpea, cocoyam, variety, rowinter cropping, sole cropping