Impact of Increasing Maize Densities on Agronomic Performances and the Community Stability of Productivity of Maize/Peanut Intercropping Systems

Abstract

Rational crop community structure plays an important role in maximizing the intercropping yield advantage. Effects of increasing maize densities in maize (Zea mays L.)/peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropping on yields and other agronomic traits, and the community stability of productivity were conducted across three different experimental sites. There were significant and positive correlations between maize densities and both maize grain/biomass yields and corresponding partial land equivalent ratios (LERs) across all three locations; but grain/biomass yields and partial LERs of peanut were all negatively correlated with maize densities in each or across all locations. LERs of grain yields averaged over three locations ranged from 0.89 to 0.98, while LERs of biomass yields ranged from 0.94 to 1.09 (>1.0 except for the maize inter-plant distance of 27 cm), indicating the intercropping advantage on biomass yields but not grain yields. Peanut had significantly lower kernel harvest indexes than those in monoculture. Excessive narrowing maize inter-plant distances reduced the community stability of productivity severely (especially for maize and total LERs) and are more likely to lead to abnormal maize and peanut plants. Therefore, a rational increase of maize densities in intercropping is suggested to keep the balance between maize and peanut and the comprehensive yield advantage.

Foliar Zn Spraying Simultaneously Improved Concentrations and Bioavailability of Zn and Fe in Maize Grains Irrespective of Foliar Sucrose Supply

“…The field experiments were conducted at two experimental sites/years in China, Quzhou in Hebei province (in 2010) and Licheng in Shandong province (in 2016), separated by a distance of around 200 km. The detailed climatic conditions in these two cities during the experiments were reported previously by Zhang et al (2013) [45] and Xia et al (2019) [46], respectively. Quzhou and Licheng have a similar and typical warm, sub-humid, continental monsoon climate, with rain and heat coinciding in the same season, leading to dry and cold winters and rainy and hot summers.…”

“…The two experiments were conducted in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation system. Detailed information about fertilizer applications and crop husbandry was previously described by Zhang et al (2013) [45] and Xue et al (2014) [2] for the experiment in Quzhou and by Xia et al (2019) [46] for the experiment in Licheng. Weeds were well controlled; no obvious water, disease, or pest stress was observed during the maize growing season, and no fungicide or pesticide was used.…”

Intercropping Pattern and N Fertilizer Schedule Affect the Performance of Additively Intercropped Maize and Forage Cowpea in the Mediterranean Region

“…Intercropping, as a mean of agricultural intensification, has proved to be a vital practice in increasing land use efficiency and, thus, uplifting the yield gain and increasing the economic value of the agricultural system. Recently, intercropping has been considered an effective strategy to enhance the resilience of the farming system to climate change hazards [1]. Cereal-legume intercropping is a widely proposed strategy to develop a sustainable food and forage production system [2,3] to replenish the food and feed gaps, especially in developing countries with restricted agricultural inputs [4,5].…”

Does reduced intraspecific competition of the dominant species in intercrops allow for a higher population density?

“…One way of maintaining overall plant density of maize in the intercrop equal to the sole crop is to increase the number of plants within the maize rows to compensate for the reduction in number of maize rows needed to allow the planting of the companion crop (Yang et al., 2015). A Previous study (Xia et al., 2019) explored the yield response to increasing maize density by shortening plant distance within a maize row in maize/peanut intercropping and showed a positive correlation. However, there are no studies to explore how optimal plant density in intercropping differs with that in sole crops when intercropping is replacement designed.…”