Multiple cropping of maize and soya beans under a high level of crop management.

Intercropping maize with soyabeans in 6 different spatial arrangements reduced the grain/seed yields/unit area of both crops. Maize alone with optimal plant populations produced the maximum yield of grain and energy, whereas associations of maize and soyabeans produced maximum total fat, protein and methionine yields. Associations used the land more intensively and land equivalent ratios of all intercropping systems were higher than of monocultures of maize and soyabeans. Different ways of evaluating mixed cropping trials are discussed. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)