Abstract
Cultivating multiple crops together can provide numerous benefits, including improved soil health and crop yield. The objective of our study was to determine the optimum planting techniques in intercropping systems, and to maximize their benefits by mitigating competition for resources such as land, space, light interception, and nutrition. The performance of successively planted maize (Zea mays L.) grown with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) was evaluated with a field trial in Bangladesh. The treatments in our study were: (a) sole maize, (b) sole cowpea, (c) crops sown simultaneously, and (d) crops sown with different time lags (1, 2, and 3 weeks) between the maize-sowing and cowpea-sowing dates. Data on the crops’ physiological parameters were recorded. These included light interception, leaf area index (LAI), Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD), harvest index, and yield. Simultaneously, canopy coverage was measured using camera-based photo analysis. In addition, an economic analysis of intercropping maize with soybean or cowpea was conducted using gross margin analysis and benefit-cost ratio. In our results, the below-canopy photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was significantly higher in intercropping treatments when maize was sown three weeks after cowpea. In contrast, the LAI value of the maize and cowpea was significantly greater when sown on the same day than in other intercropping treatments. As a result, the maize yield reduced when intercropped with cowpea. This reduction maximized when both species were sown simultaneously due to higher competition for resources, including nutrients and light. Intercropping was more beneficial in terms of land equivalent ratio than both sole cropping of maize and cowpea, especially when maize was planted three weeks later. However, this benefit was not retained when calculated as maize equivalent yield since the contribution of cowpea was small in the overall maize yield, suggesting the importance of the relative economic value of the component species. Among all treatments, the lowest maize equivalent yield (6.03 ± 0.14 t ha−1) was obtained from sole cowpea, and the largest land equivalent ratio (1.67 ± 0.05) was obtained from intercropping with maize sown three weeks after cowpea. This treatment provided a net income of USD 786.32 ± 25.08 ha−1. This study has shown that together, maize–cowpea intercropping with a temporal niche difference of three weeks may be a better option for sustainable crop production in Bangladesh, maximizing land use. However, it may not provide a significantly greater maize equivalent yield and economic return.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Below-canopy PAR was significantly higher when maize followed cowpea by three weeks.
- Treatment
- maize was sown three weeks after cowpeae0
- Outcome
- below-canopy photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)e0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“below-canopy photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was significantly higher in intercropping treatments when maize was sown three weeks after cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize and cowpea LAI was significantly greater with same-day sowing.
- Taxon
- maize and cowpea
Vigna unguiculata
Zea mayse0 - Treatment
- sown on the same daye0
- Outcome
- LAI valuee0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- other intercropping treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the LAI value of the maize and cowpea was significantly greater when sown on the same day than in other intercropping treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize yield declined with cowpea intercropping.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the maize yield reduced when intercropped with cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
The maize yield reduction was greatest under simultaneous sowing.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This reduction maximized when both species were sown simultaneously”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping improved land equivalent ratio over sole crops, particularly with maize three weeks later.
- Taxon
- maize and cowpeaVigna unguiculataZea mayse0
- Treatment
- Intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- land equivalent ratioe0
- Direction
- more beneficiale0
- Qualifier
- especially when maize was planted three weeks latere0
- Comparator
- sole cropping of maize and cowpeae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Intercropping was more beneficial in terms of land equivalent ratio than both sole cropping of maize and cowpea, especially when maize was planted three weeks later”
Claim · model-written summary
The land-use benefit was not retained for maize equivalent yield.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this benefit was not retained when calculated as maize equivalent yield”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Sole cowpea had the lowest maize equivalent yield of 6.03 ± 0.14 t ha−1.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae0
- Treatment
- sole cowpeae0
- Outcome
- maize equivalent yielde0
- Direction
- loweste0
- Value
- 6.03 ± 0.14 t ha−1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the lowest maize equivalent yield (6.03 ± 0.14 t ha−1) was obtained from sole cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize sown three weeks after cowpea gave the largest land equivalent ratio, 1.67 ± 0.05.
- Treatment
- intercropping with maize sown three weeks after cowpeae0
- Outcome
- land equivalent ratioe0
- Direction
- largeste0
- Value
- 1.67 ± 0.05e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the largest land equivalent ratio (1.67 ± 0.05) was obtained from intercropping with maize sown three weeks after cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
That intercropping treatment gave net income of USD 786.32 ± 25.08 ha−1.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This treatment provided a net income of USD 786.32 ± 25.08 ha−1”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest three-week staggered maize–cowpea intercropping for sustainable land use.
- Taxon
- maize–cowpeaVigna unguiculataZea mayse0
- Outcome
- better option for sustainable crop productione0
- Qualifier
- temporal niche difference of three weekse0
- Setting
- Bangladeshe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maize–cowpea intercropping with a temporal niche difference of three weeks may be a better option for sustainable crop production in Bangladesh, maximizing land use”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors caution that the system may not give significantly greater maize equivalent yield or economic return.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it may not provide a significantly greater maize equivalent yield and economic return”
t0“Maize”
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