Optimizing row configuration and maize planting density enhances yield and economic benefits in maize and soybean strip intercropping

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.12.038

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Jinchuan Zhang¹^,^2*, Xin Qian³, Yuting Wei¹^,², Tianzi Wang¹^,², Xuelong Fu¹^,², Sijie Luo¹^,², Yuanquan Chen¹^,², Leanne Peixoto⁴, Zhaohai Zeng¹^,², Huadong Zang¹^,^2#

¹ State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

² Key Laboratory of Farming system, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

³ State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management/National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Maize Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China

⁴ Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark

Highlights

l Optimizing field configuration increased land equivalent ratio by 6-15%.

l Optimizing maize planting density simultaneously enhanced maize and soybean yields.

l M3S4 improved maize yield by 12% but reduced soybean yield by 17% compared to M2S4.

l The M3S4/D90 configuration performed best in crop productivity and economic benefit.

Abstract
References

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摘要

玉米大豆带状复合种植能够提高土地利用率，对保障粮食安全具有重要作用。然而，该种植模式的最优田间配置参数尚不明确，尤其是在已广泛推广应用的华北平原地区。本研究通过两年田间试验，评估了两种行比配置下四种玉米种植密度对土地当量比、作物产量及经济效益的影响。结果表明，所有田间配置下，复合种植均能提高土地利用率，平均土地当量比为1.20。在M3S4（3行玉米与4行大豆交替种植）配置下，采用单作玉米密度的90%种植时，玉米产量最高可达单作的93.3%，同时额外产出大豆893 kg ha^-1。与M2S4（2行玉米与4行大豆交替种植）相比，M3S4使玉米产量提高了12.2%，但导致大豆产量降低17.1%。此外，优化玉米种植密度可提高土地利用率、作物产量及净收益。相较M3S4配置下100%单作玉米种植密度，90%单作玉米种植密度最优，使土地当量比提高了6.7%，玉米产量提高了5.6%，大豆产量提高了8.1%，净收益提高了8%。这些结果表明，优化田间配置能显著提高玉米大豆带状复合种植的作物产量及经济效益。本研究强调了优化田间配置提升玉米大豆带状复合种植的产量潜力和经济可行性，为该模式大规模推广提供了科学依据。

Abstract

Maize and soybean intercropping improve land use efficiency and plays a crucial role in ensuring food security. However, optimal field configuration parameters for maize and soybean strip intercropping remain unclear, particularly in the North China Plain where the system has been widely adopted. A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of four maize planting densities under two row configurations on the land equivalent ratio (LER), crop yields, and economic benefits. Our results demonstrated that intercropping consistently enhanced land use efficiency across all field configurations, with an average LER of 1.20. Under the M3S4 (three maize rows alternating with four soybean rows) configuration at 90% of the monocropping maize density, maize yields were sustained at up to 93.3% of monocrop, while simultaneously producing an additional 893 kg ha^-1 soybean. Compared to the M2S4 configuration (two maize rows alternating with four soybean rows), the M3S4 increased maize yield by 12.2%, but led to a 17.1% reduction in soybean yield. Further, optimization of maize planting density improved land use efficiency, crop yields, and the net income. The optimal M3S4 configuration at 90% of the monocropping maize density increased the LER by 6.7%, maize yield by 5.6%, soybean yield by 8.1%, and net income by 8% compared to M3S4 at 100% density. These findings indicate that optimizing field configurations can significantly improve crop yields and farmers' economic benefits in maize-soybean strip intercropping. Our study highlights that optimized field configurations improve both yield potential and economic viability of mechanized maize and soybean strip intercropping, providing a scientific basis for its large-scale adoption.

Keywords: maize-soybean intercropping row configuration planting density net income yield component

Online: 22 December 2025

Fund:

This study was financially supported by the National Key Research & Development Program of China (2022YFD2300901 and 2022YFD2300902-3), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, China (6252011), the Shandong Modern Agricultural Industrial Technology System, China (SDAIT-31-01) and the State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, China (SKLMB2443).

About author: #Correspondence, Huadong Zang, E-mail: zanghuadong@cau.edu.cn

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Jinchuan Zhang, Xin Qian, Yuting Wei, Tianzi Wang, Xuelong Fu, Sijie Luo, Yuanquan Chen, Leanne Peixoto, Zhaohai Zeng, Huadong Zang. 2025. Optimizing row configuration and maize planting density enhances yield and economic benefits in maize and soybean strip intercropping. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.12.038

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