| Abstrakt: |
Background: Understanding the complex relationship between soil characteristics and crop production is crucial for sustainable agriculture practices. Soil physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM) and nutrient content (e.g., NPK) significantly influence crop yield. Additionally, the application of straw mulch can impact soil moisture retention, there by affecting crop growth and productivity. Intercropping system offers potential advantages in terms of water use efficiency (WUE) and productivity compared to monoculture system. Methods: The experiment was conducted using a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications. The study included six treatments with different cropping system: T1 = Monoculture soybean(planting size 30×10 cm), T2 = Monoculture maize (planting size 45×15 cm),T3 = Maize + soybean (2:2) line sown,T4 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + wheat straw (5 tha-1), T5 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + maize straw (5 tha-1), T6 = Maize intercropping with soybean (2:2) + mustard straw (5 tha-1). Result: Water use efficiency (WUE) varied among treatments, with the highest WUE (9.44) observed in application of maize straw mulch 5t ha-1, indicating 42.57% increases compared to monoculture maize and 42.17% increases compared to monoculture soybean cultivation. Similarly, superior grain yield (19.30 q ha-1), pod yield (16.29 q ha-1), intercrop yield (35.59 q ha-1), maximum maize equivalent yield (54.33 q ha-1) when comparing the results with and without straw mulch applied to maize and soybean crops. Maize and soybean intercropping system demonstrated superior land utilization efficiency (LER:1.04 to 1.24) and productivity metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
